


case and point, detective

by snakebait



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, M/M, Partners to Lovers, Slow Burn, detective!chasang, partners as in detective partners please tell me im funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-06-28 02:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 69,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19802854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snakebait/pseuds/snakebait
Summary: There's no use complaining; he still has a job to do and a so-called legendary detective welcome won't change that. Okay, he's not so-called, he is legendary but Sanghyuk doesn't think it really warrants a proper welcome from the whole precinct. He's still a detective like the rest of them- so what if he was the youngest cop to solve an impossible serial murder from the nineties?-- In which Sanghyuk is a detective, a good one at that, but his old mentor believes that he could learn something from Cha Hakyeon, a sergeant with a little more to his name than just a few medals.





	1. incoming

**Author's Note:**

> before we get into this hello lol  
> please keep in mind that NONE OF THIS IS SERIOUS. i am simply writing this based on the fact that i grew up watching way too many cop shows and i wanted to see how this would pan out because i've grappled with this plot for a while before deciding on this!  
> if i do have a scene that could be potentially off putting or something like that, rest assured that i will warn anyone prior to the chapter and summarise the details.
> 
> that's all for now! happy reading

Birthdays are overrated.

Sanghyuk forgets a lot of his childhood.

He was forced to grow up too soon, forced to give up his life and move on to be a teenager, to be an adult, before he even became a teenager. The world is very, very cruel place and not even little Sanghyuk escaped its gruesome clutches, its scorching gaze around his throat that felt like a welt he could never heal. The world gives no favours, the universe has a curse over her head and she lays her wrath upon those who wrong her and those who never did. 

Sanghyuk is one of those people, unfortunately.

He learnt how to grow up very quickly, before he should have. He doesn’t speak to his sister anymore, can’t reach out to her because of how they grew up, because of the way the universe decided to treat them. It’s hard to explain to a kid why his sister doesn’t pick up the phone when he calls, even if she loves him very much. He knows why now, he knows it in great detail. He desperately wishes he was never told but that’s not how the universe works and no one should ever have to say goodbye to someone so dear so early in their life. But Sanghyuk did and he wishes, prays everyday that he could just forget his life before he became a so-called adult.

Sanghyuk doesn't believe in fate but he cannot blame anyone physical in his life for what has happened to him, to his family. There is no one for him to scream and cry at, to blame his pain and suffering on. So, he blames fate, whoever and wherever it is because he has nothing else to pin his sorrows on. He's spent too long blaming himself that he made himself believe fate lives inside him, torturing him in its own twisted way. He started to believe he deserves it.

Birthdays are overrated. He never celebrates them. It was always his sister that celebrated them for him, showering him in love and telling all her friends that it was his birthday so they would squish his cheeks at school and pat his head. She would wake him up on the morning of, cuddling him and singing loudly into his ear, off key and awful but he loved every second of it. Even though he would whine and complain, one time he even started crying from the embarrassment, he loved the attention from her and his sister would coo and shush him until he calmed down because _Sanghyukkie_ _will always be my baby brother._ But she’s not around anymore, she doesn’t wake him up in the morning for his birthday and he finds no purpose in celebrating a day that has no meaning to him anymore. 

When Sanghyuk finally turns eighteen, he wishes himself happy birthday in the police academy dorms at midnight and cries himself to sleep. It’s sad, it’s horrible and he misses his parents so fucking badly but he can’t stop thinking of his sister, of what it would be like for her to be here, to see a text message from her on his phone because she was always the first to wish him one.

He’s glad he doesn’t wake Sungjae up who’s above him in the bunks when a sob escapes his lips. He dries his eyes and tries to sleep, wakes up in the midst of Sungjae getting ready for a new day and pulls himself from his covers groggily and exhausted.

“You look like shit,” Sungjae comments, sitting next to him and checking him for a fever; Sanghyuk is unsurprised to find out he has one. Sungjae freaks out, ordering the rest of their bunk to get a nurse and Sanghyuk falls asleep against his friend’s shoulder while they wait, needing his warmth and his comfort on admittedly one of the worst days of his life that he has to spend each year. Each birthday is a reminder of how he’s getting older and how much he wishes he could go back home, to when everything was fine. To when he had the white picket fence family with loving parents and two kids, a girl and a boy to match, three years apart and growing up beautifully without a care in the world. There was always money coming in, they never had a shortage of things they needed in the house and they never overspent.

But that’s gone now. It’s all gone because Sanghyuk is alone, in the police academy as a result of the wrong doings he experienced, eighteen and so horribly lost. He wakes up in fits of nightmares and hates himself for everything he is when Sungjae climbs into his bed and hugs him so he’ll finally go to sleep, so they can both get some rest. It’s his fault that he’s torturing his friend but he can’t seem to stop. He's selfish, awfully selfish but he can't seem to apologise enough.

Sanghyuk is eighteen when he realises he is truly alone in this world.

Birthdays are overrated.

  
  


***

Over the years, he forgets how scared he was to hold a gun.

He’s done his training, his public service. He was a public transport officer for some time, keeping his head down and smiling at babies on the train when they looked at him in wonder. The amount of kids he had to speak sternly too despite only being a few years older than was a little embarrassing but it’s a job. Sanghyuk had a job to do and he did it, no questions asked.

And now, normal days at work are all Sanghyuk can really ask for.

He spent  _ years _ to get where he is, slapping handcuffs on perps, reading out rights he knows better than his timetables. He’s smart, quick thinking and bold. He knows his abilities, worked his ass off to be recognised for what he can do.

Maybe it’s not every kid’s dream to be a cop but it was Sanghyuk’s. It probably wasn’t exactly  _ good parenting _ to let a nine year old have control of the television to watch detective shows until way past his bedtime but Sanghyuk is grateful to his parents for that. Sure, Hollywood isn’t the greatest thing to fall in love with and it’s not always good humour and buddy cop partners but Sanghyuk learnt through the ones that were accurate about the grittiness of the world.

Law and Order doesn’t really teach a kid much besides how to read out the Miranda rights with speed and ease and maybe how to play a good bad cop character. But Sanghyuk never gave up his want, his dream to be out there putting criminals behind bars and doing his part to make his city just a little bit safer. So long as there’s crime, there’s work for Sanghyuk and he can’t forget that.

His first day out of the academy feels like so long ago but he remembers it like it was just yesterday. He showed up for work and within minutes, he had been dispatched to a robbery, asking questions that felt like cotton stuck in his mouth but his surprior office clapped him on the shoulder afterwards, startling him but Sanghyuk smiled back at him, wide and innocent when he was praised.

“I was hesitant,” the officer said to him as they moved through the store to check for the items that had been stolen. “I’m sure you expected to be ignored at first but you surprised me, Han. You're a natural.”

Sanghyuk beamed at him and the memory makes him chuckle to himself now. A natural, huh? He's been told that about a lot of things but in that moment, it was the only time that the phrase ever felt right.

He’s grown up since then and now, his phone buzzes in the early hours of the morning and he gets dressed in a blind haze before heading over to a crime scene, he perks up at the sight of coffee from Jaehwan who smiles sweetly at him despite the crime scene before them. Blunt and a little gruesome but it’s nothing Sanghyuk hasn’t seen before, even if he is considered a ‘new’ detective. Jaehwan has definitely seen worse so Sanghyuk will count his blessings and be grateful that he never went into forensics. He only knows the sound of a bone snapping from a handful of incidents, one of those being his collarbone and he’s glad he doesn’t have to see how breaks happen like Jaehwan has to.

It’s pushing four in the morning,  _ the prime time for murder! _ as Jaehwan likes to call it and Sanghyuk is waking up quicker than he thought he would. It’s not hard to smell the blood that’s seeping into the carpet as soon as he steps into the apartment and he nods to the forensics team as they move around in plastic suits, surgical masks on their face and gloves covering their hands. He takes a pair from Jaehwan and slips them on just in case he has to touch anything inside the apartment and hopes his brain will kick into gear soon.

“What do we have?” he asks gruffly, more into his takeaway cup than anything else. Jaehwan bends down, lifting the sheet to reveal a man in his possibly early forties, one gunshot wound under his jaw. The team are taking photos still, inspecting the apartment the exists, checking for anything out of the ordinary. They nod to him when they meet his gaze and Sanghyuk draws his attention back to the task at hand.

Jaehwan runs him through the state, how the body was found and the gun found nearby. It could have easily have been ruled a suicide but Sanghyuk was called for a reason and that’s because Jaehwan doesn’t think so.

“Lived with his wife and his son recently moved out. No sign of either of them,” Jaehwan says while staring at the body. “Belongings are still on him and the wife isn't picking up her phone. The son’s is going straight to voicemail, too.”

“Weird,” Sanghyuk remarks, knowing exactly where to look. There's a clear cause of death, no cuts or bruises in strange places and the body is still clothed. The body is cold but it’s definitely fresh. He hasn't been dead for more than a few hours and the neighbour called the police because of screaming and arguing, and then later, one single gunshot.

“The entry of the bullet doesn’t match up,” Jaehwan adds, directing him around the corpse and pointing out the positioning. Sanghyuk hands him his unloaded gun and Jaehwan demonstrates what he means. “I thought it was a suicide at first but the angle doesn’t fit. Someone pressed a gun to his chin or else if he did shoot himself, he would have held the gun in a very awkward position.”

Sanghyuk nods, looking around the apartment. With that fact, the window being wide open raises some questions. It’s difficult to rule it a suicide when you can’t rule out homicide completely, too. Sanghyuk may be young but he likes to think he’s a bit smarter than others and he knows a case when he sees one.

“Was the door open when you got here?” he asks Jaehwan, the doctor nodding to him; then the body was meant to be found. Why go through the trouble of murdering someone if you’re not going to hide it? It could either be a clumsy job by someone close to the victim or the work of a serial killer. Sanghyuk hopes it’s the former. Considering the wife isn't answering and there's no indication of why she wouldn't be here, reporting her husband’s murder, it’s a little strange and it makes Sanghyuk’s skin itch.

That’s what it is like to be a detective. You find a case, you work hard and you solve it. He was naive before, thinking things would go smoothly because he was praised in the academy. But with every life lost, every missing person that remains a mystery, it gets harder and harder. Sanghyuk didn’t consider the tears he’d shed over the little kids he’d find, or the teenagers caught on the wrong side of town at night. He didn’t think he’d spend three days crying himself to sleep over a single father with two missing children because he couldn’t do anything to find them before it was too late.

But with every tear shed, Sanghyuk gets stronger. While there is crime, he still has a job to do. If he can help anyone, then he will do anything it takes to do so. He knows his job well and he might be emotional but he knows better than anyone the pain that comes with injustice. 

He’s been told that he has a very heroic outlook on his job but he disagrees. He’s no better than anyone else doing good in the world. He shouldn’t have to be praised for his work because he’s just like everyone else. He’s human, he eats breakfast and goes to work every day to make his money. He comes home to his apartment and he does mundane things that make him happy like playing video games or calling his mother. 

He’s doing okay, he knows he is. He keeps at his job, on track and up to date. It’s hard, God is it hard, but it’s worth it to bring people home to their loved ones, to watch people recover and thrive and to check in when old cases that have been filed away for another rookie to look up to. Sanghyuk hates the paperwork because what cop actually likes paperwork? But it’s reviving to close a file full of information, smile and announce  _ it’s solved _ and have his colleagues congratulate him because they know exactly how it feels to be in his position.

Sanghyuk is a young detective but he’s smart and he knows it. He gets babied but he’s bigger than most of the cops in his precinct and the noonas like him more. He likes his work, likes the people he gets to work with because they know the job like he does. He admires those older than them and keeps to himself when he knows his opinion won’t contribute. There’s a time and a place for everything but he’s never belittled or shunned for being younger than others. The rookies come in every year and Sanghyuk has fun with a few of them, especially the police force downstairs. 

Speaking of downstairs, one of his side cases lands him there and he likes the greetings he gets from all of them. He dips his head politely before he slumps himself down at Hongbin’s desk, the cybercrime captain scratching his cheek that has a little more stubble than he usually allows.

“I don’t think that’s in the code,” Sanghyuk says, pointing to his not quite five o’clock shadow. Two o’clock shadow? It’s only two in the afternoon now.

Hongbin mimics him childishly, slapping Sanghyuk’s hand away from his things on his desk when he tries to play with them. He manages to get his hands on Hongbin’s elastic band ball and plays with it, occasionally taking one off to shoot it at the back of Sungjae’s head when he walks to and from the storage rooms. They grin at each other even when Sungjae throws his pen at Sanghyuk and hits him in the throat, making him sputter.

“What do you want, Hyuk?” Hongbin asks after a few more minutes, finally looking at him. Sanghyuk would give anything to see what’s on his screen right now but he knows that Hongbin never plays games at work. He knows how to hack, track and gain access to just about anything but he never mixes his private life with work. Sanghyuk knows that very well.

He hands Hongbin the file on the suspect he has and asks him to run some locations for him. Hongbin does just that, his eyes glued to the screen as his fingers fly across the keyboard. Sanghyuk waits patiently in silence, letting Hongbin’s expertise thrive as best as he can. Hongbin is the best at this, able to track and find someone in minutes, his work quick and efficient. He’s smart, there’s a reason he’s in cybercrime, and he’s damn good at his job. 

The only problem is his glasses and Hongbin smashes them onto his face in a hast to read what’s on the screen, wheeling in his chair to the printer to show Sanghyuk what he’s found so far with photos too.

Sanghyuk scans the documents but it’s not really like he has to. Hongbin always does a good job and he’d never give Sanghyuk something that wasn’t helpful or incomplete. It’s perfect, the locations and photos laid out perfectly for him. Perfect for his paperwork and his stakeout research. He smiles at Hongbin who just licks the side of his mouth absentmindedly, waving Sanghyuk off when he praises him.

“You’re the best, Bin-hyung!” he calls and Hongbin looks at him finally, frowning. That makes Sanghyuk stop in the middle of the floor, confused. Before he can ask, Hongbin looks back at his computer and clears his throat.

“You have a meeting in ten minutes,” he says slowly, eyes on the screen like always. He’s pausing for dramatic effect and it’s making Sanghyuk sweat; it’s working and he  _ hates _ it. “To welcome Cha Hakyeon.”

Time stops for a few moments as everyone not only listens to their leader’s announcement but also absorbs what the hell he just said. Sanghyuk almost swears out of pure shock, his cases hitting him quickly and making him forget about the meeting. He's got other things to do and it’s not a personal meeting, it’s his whole precinct welcoming the legendary detective but Sanghyuk feels sick suddenly, especially from the shocked faces accompanying the announcement from Hongbin. 

“You better get upstairs,” Hongbin muses, laughing to himself and Sanghyuk tries really hard to remind himself why he likes Hongbin so much. Sure, he's smart but does Sanghyuk really need his help? 

He keeps his grievances to himself and swallows his pride as he heads back upstairs. There's no use complaining; he still has a job to do and a so-called  _ legendary detective _ welcome won't change that. Okay, he's not  _ so-called _ , he  _ is _ legendary but Sanghyuk doesn't think it really warrants a proper welcome from the  _ whole _ precinct. He's still a detective like the rest of them- so what if he was the youngest cop to solve an impossible serial murder from the nineties? 

That does sound really admirable, though, and Hakyeon has received many awards of the account of solving thought to be impossible homicides and missing persons cases. 

Sanghyuk bites his tongue and slips into the briefing room, finding a seat next to Nayoung who nods to him when he sits down. Sally slips in too, onto the same chair as Nayoung and Sanghyuk is about to offer his seat for her when the captain clears her throat. 

“If you read the email, you’ll know we have a new sargent,” she says, back to business as usual. She doesn't mess around and everyone knows that very well. “He’ll be here any minute so try not to freak out or embarrass yourselves.”

“Do you know about him?” Sanghyuk asks Nayoung, his eyes on the door. He's only ever seen Hakyeon in the newspapers or at award ceremonies. He really doesn't know what to expect because the guy looks like a total hardass in the photos and he rarely ever smiles. 

Nayoung seems to share his opinion. “I don't know. Jung used to work with him before he left to command the eighty-seventh precinct so if he can speak highly of him, then maybe we don't have anything to worry about.”

Sanghyuk doesn't reply. Taekwoon was his mentor for a while before he left so there's nothing bad between them. Sanghyuk loves him, if he has to admit it and he's proud that his hyung got promoted. He misses him, sure, but it’s not like they don't talk anymore. He just hopes Hakyeon is something similar. Taekwoon wasn’t easy to get along with at first so if he and Hakyeon are close, Sanghyuk doesn't think Hakyeon can be that bad.

The briefing room silences when the door opens and Cha Hakyeon stands there, nodding to the captain quickly. He bows to her once he's closer and lets her introduce him properly. His gaze is piercing and he catches Sanghyuk’s eyes for a moment before crossing over the room.

“It’s a pleasure to have you, Sargeant,” the captain finishes, turning to him and shaking his hand. Hakyeon, admittedly, doesn't look like much; he's tall but he's not built like Sanghyuk or even Hongbin. But a lot of the stories are true, he's a lot stronger than he looks and his gaze is horribly intimidating. 

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” he says, his voice a little higher than Sanghyuk expects because he's only ever heard him through a microphone. “Thank you for approving me.”

“Oh, hush,” the captain says, waving him off with a small smile. “I should hope you all welcome your new colleague warmly. Dismissed.”

The room isn't exactly sure how to resume but the door opens and Sanghyuk breathes a sigh of relief when it’s Hyungwon with a stack of papers. He doesn't read the room, frankly because he doesn't care much and crosses the room to hand some of the papers to the captain. The officers stand and start to leave from that prompt and Nayoung follows Sally out closely, Sanghyuk behind them.

“Detective Han,” his captain calls, her eyes on the papers while Hyungwon cleans his glasses next to her. “A word, please.”

Sanghyuk swallows his pride and leans against the front table, waiting for her to finish signing. Hyungwon checks over the papers and does the same thing to Hakyeon, waiting with a bored look before smiling very forcibly and leaving, looking through the papers for a third time. 

His captain pauses, looking between him and Hakyeon with a frown. “Han, you're working a case right now, aren't you?”

“It’s nothing major,” Sanghyuk replies, crossing his arms. He really hopes this isn't going where he thinks it is because he  _ does not _ need a babysitter. “A staged homicide. It came in last night and Doctor Lee gave me a call.”

His captain nods slowly, checking her watch. She's stalling and it’s annoying both him and Hakyeon it seems. The sargeant keeps clenching his jaw but he doesn't speak; it’s not his place to.

“What is it, captain?” Sanghyuk asks, keeping his face neutral.

“Sargeant Jung asked me for a favour.”

“Bastard,” Sanghyuk cursed, earning a glare from Hakyeon. He knows  _ exactly _ what Taekwoon has said just from that sentence, son of a bitch. “I don't need a babysitter. I finished my training and he's not my mentor anymore.”

“He thinks you could learn more,” his captain says slowly, gauging his reaction. “And I think he's right. You're still young so it wouldn't hurt to learn from detective Cha.”

“Captain, Taekwoon-hyung isn't-” Samghyuk tries but Hakyeon clears his throat, sighing.

“With all due respect to you both, I don't want to mentor someone,” he deadpans. “I wasn't consulted about this and I'd rather not do so, if that's okay.” 

“You're being consulted now,” the captain answers, her tone final. But Hakyeon isn't done, his ears pinking a little.

“Why me? There's plenty of others-” Hakyeon puts his hands on his hips, looking at Sanghyuk pointedly with his eyebrows raised. It’s hardly intimidating but Sanghyuk shuts his mouth immediately and looks down, avoiding his eyes.

“Sanghyuk is a smart man,” the captain starts, picking open his file and letters. “He's got good connections, raised an athlete, keeps on top of his work. He hates to make people disappointed in him.”

_ That makes me sound like a dog,  _ he thinks, cursing Taekwoon’s recommendation letter. He knows Taekwoon loves him, knows that Taekwoon is very proud of him but it makes Sanghyuk sigh. Hakyeon doesn't reply for a moment, seeming to weigh his words for himself. He eventually sighs and their captain smiles sickeningly sweet. 

“Are we all in agreement?” she asks, closing Sanghyuk’s file with a glance between the two of them. Sanghyuk rolls his eyes while Hakyeon nods curtly, leaving the captain to dismiss them and leave with a slight spring in her step.

“Let me make this clear,” Hakyeon says before Sanghyuk can escape, his hands in a tight fist. “You don't want a babysitter and I’m not here to slap your wrist when you fuck up.”

_ As if I would do that on purpose,  _ Sanghyuk spits but he knows better than to speak back to a higher rank. He bites his cheek and raises his eyebrows for Hakyeon to continue. He could say a lot right now, could scream and carry on because he's twenty-eight for crying out loud but that won't blow over well with Hakyeon, Taekwoon or his captain. No doubt Hongbin will hear of it and tease him for it because Hyungwon will be the first one to tell him. 

“Let’s treat this as if we’re partners,” Hakyeon offers, giving him his hand too. “Because that's what we are, now. We have to work-”

“Look,” Sanghyuk interrupts, eyeing his hand until Hakyeon draws it back. “I don't need the lecture. If Taekwoon wanted you to mentor me, then I trust his word, not yours. I don't need to be babied and I don't need you to catch me up on your feelings so let's just drop that before you try either.”

Hakyeon blinks at him, completely stunned. Sanghyuk smiles, no teeth and all creases of his eyes and turns on his heel, leaving the briefing room as quickly as he can. 

There’s a file waiting on his desk when he sits down and he scowls at it, recognising Taekwoon’s handwriting. He curses under his breath, earning a frown from Hyungwon but he ignores it and flicks through the file as quickly as he can. 

  
  


_ For Hyukkie _

_ You're probably not happy about what I’ve done, but trust me. Hakyeonie is the best of the best and I know you can learn from him.  _

_ Best wishes,  _

_ Jung Taekwoon _

  
  


The file is essentially a crash course of everything to do with Cha Hakyeon and Sanghyuk rolls his eyes again, something Hongbin would be proud of him if he could see him. He closes the file and drops it into his filing cabinet. He can't be bothered with any of it and it’s things he already knows. Hakyeon is smart, he once arrested someone with a bullet lodged in his leg and brought him in for investigation without a single word about his wound. He came back the next day and landed the perp in jail while still bleeding through his bandage.

Sanghyuk doesn't need to know that because he already fucking knows it. The only other person who doesn't seem to care about Hakyeon’s presence is Hyungwon, who’s happily typing away at his computer with Hoseok sitting at his desk, chatting with him. 

Someone places a file on his desk suddenly and Sanghyuk looks up to Hakyeon who is looking at him expectantly.

“You forgot it in the briefing room,” he says simply, taking a seat at Sanghyuk’s desk uninvited. “And I have to work with you so tell me about the case.”

“You can read,” Sanghyuk replies, trying to keep the snipe out of his voice but it doesn't really work. Hakyeon doesn't acknowledge it, just raises his eyebrows and manages a smile that can only be described as fake.

Sanghyuk grimaces and takes the file, running through it with Hakyeon quickly, but it’s really not a case. He's basically solved it already but when he tells Hakyeon who he thinks did it, the sargeant frowns and shakes his head.

“It can't be the wife,” he says, picking up her photo. “Their son did it. She's covering for him.”

Sanghyuk stares at him, glancing back at the file and Hakyeon’s right, it couldn't have been the wife. She's too short to have held the gun up like that. If she did shoot him, it’s a very strange way to kill someone. The victim was threatened, held up and defenseless and the wife could have done so but not without help.

“The son’s car was reported outside the apartment building,” Hakyeon says and Sanghyuk feels himself feeling sick. He was wrong, Hakyeon is right about this and now he's embarrassed. He didn’t want a babysitter but apparently it’s exactly what he needed.

“Let's pick up the son,” Hakyeon says, pointing to the address listed and Sanghyuk nods, gritting his teeth. This is going to be a very good experience with Hakyeon, he can't  _ wait _ to thank Taekwoon for such a lovely set up. Oh, a partner to truly  _ die _ for.

  
  


***

_ “What the fuck were you thinking?”  _

Sanghyuk still remembers the day he met Taekwoon. He was new, oh god he was new, and Taekwoon had stared him down after an awful integration that ended in a perp being released without any charges despite the accusations and the evidence against him.

They had a case but Sanghyuk stupidly rushed it and said things he shouldn't have in order to shock the suspect. He's new but he can't use that excuse because he fucked it up, he lost the suspect, he lost their case.

Taekwoon had pulled him out and yelled at him because as his mentor, Sanghyuk’s mistakes are Taekwoon’s as well. He yelled and Sanghyuk felt like crying but he didn't because that would have been more embarrassing. 

_ “Are you stupid? What the fuck did they teach you in the academy?” _

Taekwoon had apologised later on for his words, his actions out of line and Sanghyuk sat in silence on the roof of the precinct because the tears rolling down his cheeks wouldn't have done him any good. Taekwoon tricked him into thinking he left and Sanghyuk let out a sob that made his mentor come running to him and hold him until he calmed down.

_ “Get off me!”  _ Sanghyuk had screamed at him, crawling at Taekwoon’s arms but even if he was stronger than Taekwoon, his mentor didn't budge until Sanghyuk was full blown crying in his arms, shaking his head as he blubbered on and on about how sorry he was, how it would never happen again.

_ “You've always been strong,”  _ Taekwoon told him years later, tears in his eyes as a box of his things sat at their feet.  _ “Oh, Hyogi, you know that. You're not a kid anymore.” _

_ “I know, hyung,”  _ he replied, laughing at Taekwoon’s teary eyes but he was no better himself. He held on for longer but Taekwoon knows him better than anyone and knew his tears weren't too far off.

But with the praise and pain comes the insecurities that Sanghyuk can't let go. Taekwoon said he wasn't a kid anymore and he's right, he's  _ not _ . So, why did Taekwoon send Hakyeon to him and why did he recommend that Sanghyuk learn from Hakyeon?

He doesn't want to ask because he doesn't know the answer he’ll get. That in itself is ironic, considering he's a fucking detective but the chances are he’ll get cooed over by Taekwoon and he can't be fucked going through a fight with him right now because Taekwoon will end up sulking and Sanghyuk will feel guilty over it and end up forgiving him.

He sighs, raking his hands through his hair and scratching his head. He's tired, worn out from today and just over everything. Why do people think he can't do things? Fuck’s sake. Probably because he still has a lot to learn which he didn't know until today, apparently. He's been working in the field for years now but he's still not good enough. 

But no matter. He’ll just have to prove himself like he's been doing this entire time. He leaves his phone on charge and goes to bed, waking up to his alarm and no messages. He should be glad for it but he's not. He's itching for work like never before and he feels antsy as he dresses himself and hurries out the door so he can grab a coffee on his way and still get there on time.

  
  


***

“Guess who got murdered!”

Sanghyuk groans while Hakyeon rubs his face rather forcibly in response to Jaehwan’s announcement. It’s not funny, murder is hardly ever funny, but when it’s a serial killer the entire precinct have all had a go at finding, it’s a little annoying. Jaehwan flicks through the slides of the photos he took, presenting the case to each of the officers as well as Hyungwon because he was eating his lunch until Jaehwan walked in and made things sound a lot less serious than they actually were.

Sanghyuk sighs as someone else takes the case to find who did it. Hakyeon sighs too, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. He looks tired, actually but Sanghyuk doesn’t comment until Hyungwon does, promptly leaving after telling Hakyeon that he  _ looks like shit _ . 

The sergeant doesn’t deem that with a response. He just snorts before looking at Sanghyuk pointedly. “Where else have you served?”

Sanghyuk frowns, making an awkward face before he mumbles out his reply. Why does it matter? He already knows that Hakyeon is more experienced than him, especially in undercover work. If anyone ever needs a college student, Hakyeon is their best bet next to Sanghyuk. He’s never been undercover apart from the off times he’s been in the middle of robberies, watching and waiting for the right time to confront the perps to bring them in. 

Hakyeon nods to him quickly, watching everyone file out of the room. They’ve no business here and Hyungwon is the only one that remains, Jaehwan rattling onto him. Hyungwon tries to look interested and it seems to be working but Jaehwan encourages him to keep eating his lunch whilst he talks because he wouldn’t want to take him away from such an important duty. But then again, Jaehwan is talking about how he had to…  _ dismantle _ … a body while Hyungwon is trying his hardest to eat but it’s not like Sanghyuk wants to help him, especially when Jaehwan is going on and on with gusto. It’d be mean to discourage him.

Hakyeon stands up and walks to the whiteboard at the front of the briefing room, grabbing the marker and drawing a little table in the corner of the board. He writes their names before turning back to Sanghyuk, presenting his work to him.

“Whenever you get an arrest, we add it to this board. The first to… fifty?” He frowns but Jaehwan nods enthusiastically to him. Even Hyungwon has his attention fixed on the sergeant. 

“Actually, we’re in November now. In a year’s time, whoever has the most arrests wins,” Hakyeon says, fixing his gaze back on Sanghyuk. He raises his eyebrows, as if asking Sanghyuk to find a fault in his offering. 

Sanghyuk wants to argue. God, he wants to argue so badly but he loves a decent bet and he’s not one to back down from a challenge. That might be his biggest weakness but he’s never going to admit to that on record and he won’t hold himself accountable. He squints at Hakyeon, a smirk coming to his lips. And a year long bet? It’s going to always come up, he’s going to tease the hell out of Hakyeon when he loses.

“What do I get if I win?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest. Not only does this help their work since it’s their literal job to arrest people but it also helps prove that Sanghyuk doesn’t need someone to take care of him. This bet puts them on equal ground since Hakyeon wouldn’t have challenged him if he didn’t believe he’d have a chance at winning. 

“I’ll do anything you ask me,” the sargeant answers, lifting his chin in a way to smugly look down on Sanghyuk. “And if I win, you have to do anything I ask.”

“Deal,” Sanghyuk decides rather quickly, standing up and offering his hand to Hakyeon. He’s going to win this. It’s not that hard to win a bet, especially one about arrests. Sanghyuk is humble but he’s confident in himself and his abilities. He won’t shame himself for that but he thinks he can beat Hakyeon. This is his precinct and maybe it’s time Sanghyuk taught some of the big leagues a lesson of what not to do to ‘lesser’ cops. 

“Oh, you shouldn’t challenge dogs on their own turf,” Hyungwon mutters, picking up his food and deciding now is the best time to make his escape. Jaehwan doesn’t leave, instead leaning back and assessing the tension that can be cut with a knife. He smiles when Hakyeon looks at him, very obviously hinting at him to leave with a tilt of his head towards the door.

“Oh, no,” the doctor says, standing up and taking the marker from Hakyeon. “Didn’t you make the arrest yesterday on the account of Sanghyuk’s case?” He turns to the whiteboard and puts the number one underneath Hakyeon’s name and smiles back at them. Sanghyuk could never but he feels the urge to hit him.

Hakyeon looks smug when he looks up at Sanghyuk, waiting for the challenge that never comes. Sanghyuk wets his lips and smiles in his face, forced and close mouthed. There’s a competition between them and Hakyeon doesn’t know just how bad Sanghyuk can be for the sake of winning. It’s harmless but at the same time, if Sanghyuk wins this, then he can ask Hakyeon to do whatever he wants. Will he ask him to do his paperwork, to do his overtime as well as his own? Clean out his desk knowing that Hongbin left a sandwich in the top draw last year that Sanghyuk hasn’t cleaned out yet?

“May the best detective win,” Sanghyuk says with a smirk, nodding to Jaehwan before leaving. He goes back to his desk, pretending everything is normal but he messages Hongbin downstairs from the computer, earning a pissed off emote from him but Sanghyuk smiles, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back in his chair. 

  
Oh, winning is going to be  _ so _ worth it. He just has to figure out what to get Hakyeon to do for him but he’s got time. Boy, does he have time.


	2. partnership

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **there is a mention of an abusive ex partner, but nothing is in detail and it has nothing to do with the main story or the characters. if this makes you uncomfortable, skip from "Everything falls in place after that. to They sit down at their desks afterwards.
> 
> it is one sentence in one paragraph that simply mentions a partner but the warning is just in case ^^

_ “Detective Han!” _

Sanghyuk startles in his seat, glancing up at Detective Jung and his captain. He almost spills his coffee all over himself but he saves it just in time, blinking up at them in surprise. The captain beckons him to follow and he scrambles to his feet, almost walking into Jung’s back. The senior detective glares back at him, his feline eyes making him all the more threatening because Sanghyuk can never figure out what’s going through his head at any moment. Is he angry or is that just his face?

Jung Taekwoon was the third person Sanghyuk ever met at his first precinct. He’d never heard of the detective before and vise versa but he was very quick to learn who Taekwoon was and just who he was going to become. His captain made sure of it, made sure he knew who he was dealing with because in this precinct, Taekwoon’s word goes and that’s the end of story.

Taekwoon isn’t legendary per se but he’s incredibly smart and calculated. He knows how to wind a perp up and make them tick with a smile and twinkle of his eyes that drops from his face in milliseconds once they’ve told him what he wants to know. He’s a brilliant detective and stands his ground when he’s challenged; Sanghyuk isn’t alone in looking up to him within the precinct. There’s rookies that stumble around him just like Sanghyuk and embarrass themselves, causing Taekwoon to look at them with enough disdain to make an age old dragon sweat in its scales.

Sanghyuk doesn’t know how he got to that conclusion, maybe he read too many old age fantasy books when he was younger but whatever. The point is he’s a little bit more than just scared of being in a room alone with Taekwoon and his captain who clearly wants to speak to him about something serious.

“You both are familiar with each other,” she says when they’re seated at opposite tables in front of her. Taekwoon sits elegantly, legs crossed and his hands resting in his lap. His uniform is pristine and Sanghyuk feels very embarrassed next to him. Taekwoon’s hair is immaculate, clean and styled and he’s freshly shaven. Sanghyuk barely grows any facial hair and his hair is still growing back from the academy’s strict rules. His ears are a little too big and oh, no- they’re turning red.

Taekwoon nods to the captain’s question, glancing at Sanghyuk. He doesn’t say anything but his judgement is strong, so strong it makes Sanghyuk scrunch his shoulders together. God, why is he so big? He wants to hide away but he can’t do that with how much he’s grown. Can he go back to being seventeen again?

“I think it would be best if you had a mentor, Han,” his captain says slowly, gauging their reactions but Taekwoon doesn’t move at all and Sanghyuk doesn’t have the guts to argue. What can he say that will make them think otherwise? He just got a job here after jumping around precincts and he can’t tell his captain of all people that he doesn’t want to be mentored by one of their notably best officers in the entire building just because he doesn’t want to disappoint him.

Taekwoon isn’t objecting to anything the captain says and that should ease Sanghyuk’s heart a little but it doesn’t at all. He probably hates this situation, he doesn’t need a rookie following him around and screwing up his cases. Why does it have to be Sanghyuk? He doesn’t even know how to be a mentee, what if he screws that up, too? Taekwoon will have him kicked off the force by the end of the week if he becomes his mentor but there’s nothing he can say because Taekwoon clears his throat and turns to him.

“This is to teach you how things work around here,” the detective says, surprisingly soft. His gaze is open, accepting of this even if his face is impassive. Sanghyuk is getting whiplash trying to figure out his emotions and he’s positive he’s not the only one.

“Do you understand that?” Taekwoon asks, tilting his head. “This is not a judgement of whether you are fit to be here. It’s a way to show you experiences so that you have more guidance in the future when you won’t have a mentor to call on.”

A shiver passes through Sanghyuk’s body quickly, his shoulders aching from how they’ve been pulled in close to his body for so long. He manages a nod and tries to relax himself, glancing up at his captain in search of disapproval but she only smiles at him, happy that they both seem to be onboard with it.

“Think of it as a friend,” his captain says. “Taekwoon is older than you and more experienced, but that doesn’t mean he might know better than you. You two are going to work together closely and share each other’s insight to better each other.”

Sanghyuk nods blindly, his ears hot and burning and the captain closes up her files and leaves the room, leaving no room for disagreement. Taekwoon doesn’t move even once the door is closed but he looks back at Sanghyuk, blinking at him. 

_ He’s expecting something,  _ Sanghyuk thinks but he doesn’t know what. Does he want him to speak? Should Sanghyuk thank him for offering the mentoring? He feels like a kid again and he looks away nervously, standing up when Taekwoon does and knocking over his chair.

“It’s alright,” Taekwoon says, holding his hands up to stop Sanghyuk from coming closer and making more of a fool out of himself. “Just… It’s okay, Han. Just be mindful of-”

“Hyuk,” he blurts out, his cheek twitching. “My- Uh, you can call me Hyuk. I don’t mind.”

Taekwoon blinks at him, his eyebrows rising in surprise but he nods, his lip quirking up into a would be smile. Or, that’s what Sanghyuk hopes it would be but he’s not really sure. “Okay,” he replies. “It’s okay, Hyuk. Let’s work together for a long time.”

Sanghyuk wets his lips again (why won’t they stay wet?) and nods, offering a shaky hand for Taekwoon to take. He does, smiling a little and Sanghyuk manages one in reply. Taekwoon leaves him alone in the briefing room and Sanghyuk is lucky the windows are shaded because he does a little celebratory dance, fist pumping the air.

At least Taekwoon isn’t pissed at him. He’s glad that Taekwoon doesn’t even  _ hate _ him to begin with and he tries to reassure his own brain that he’s doing okay. People make mistakes and he’s probably going to make a lot of them but that’s life, isn’t it? 

He’s okay and Jung Taekwoon is his new mentor. Maybe things are going to be okay.

  
  


***

  
  


Sanghyuk yawns, stretching out in the briefing room. It feels like this is his new home at this point but they’re trying to decide what he should make Hakyeon do if he wins. Jaehwan, Hyungwon, Hongbin and Chansik are with him, rattling off answers to Jaehwan who’s holding the marker to his lips in thought.

“Paperwork?” Chanshik offers, ever the nice one out of them all but Hongbin screws up his face.

“Make him clean the toilets for a month,” Hongbin says but Hyungwon shakes his head.

“Ask him out,” Hyungwon offers, laughing when Hongbin scoffs at him. Jaehwan starts to write it on the board but Sanghyuk throws the other marker at his head, hitting him in the skull and making him yelp in pain.

Jaehwan is quick to rub everything off the board when people begin to walk in. They all need to get back to work and Sanghyuk pulls himself out of the table to leave since there’s no scheduled briefing that he has to attend. Hongbin claps him on the back as he returns back downstairs and Chansik resumes himself at his desk to go over some paperwork before he has to go out for the day.

Hakyeon is right on time at nine o’clock, moving through the precinct and taking his seat at the desk opposite Sanghyuk without so much as a hello. Sanghyuk isn’t big on proper greetings but Hakyeon immediately gets to work, turning on his computer and pulling out his files to do his paperwork.

Hyungwon angles his head to glance at Hakyeon’s screen but he doesn’t make a face that indicates that the detective is doing anything that he shouldn’t be. He shrugs when he and Sanghyuk make eye contact, confused at the obvious truth that Hakyeon is doing his job. But then again, Hyungwon is either on his phone or roasting half the detectives alive for trying to be fashion forward in suit wear during office hours.

“Good morning, Cha,” Sanghyuk says, eyes on his computer. Hakyeon hums in reply, giving no more of an answer and Sanghyuk scrunches up his nose, caught very off guard by the bluntness from his partner. Hyungwon snorts and that earns a smile from Hakyeon before he finally looks at Sanghyuk like the last five minutes never transpired.

“So, you were just going to ignore me?” he asks, frowning and Hakyeon takes a breath, looking around the precinct.

“That would be very unprofessional of me, detective Han,” he answers, eyes on Chanshik’s desk as the other shifts his paperwork, on the phone with someone. “I simply made you wait. But that’s besides the point.”

Sanghyuk raises his eyebrow, very clearly not impressed but Hakyeon doesn’t make anymore teasing comments, tending to his computer. He decides it’s best to get to work as well, ignoring Hakyeon’s humming that starts to sound nice after a while.

Hakyeon’s scanner barks up static before there’s a phone call to his desk. He answers it quickly, his face devoid of any positive emotion as he listens to what is being said to him. It’s weird that Sanghyuk finds that attractive but he’s not one to dwell on unnecessary things for long.

“Thank you,” Hakyeon says before hanging up, standing and beckoning Sanghyuk to follow him. “B and E a couple blocks from here, at an electronics store. This isn’t the first one and it probably won’t be the last.” 

Sanghyuk nods and heads down to the store, keeping his smile to himself. He knows exactly how this is going to go down and Hakyeon is going to  _ hate _ it in the end but it’s another win for him.

  
  


***

  
  


“We’ll need a list of all your employees and anyone who could have had access to the store so we can identify whether this was an inside job or not.”

Hakyeon rattles off to the owner, noting down the things he tells him and comforting him when it gets a little too overwhelming. Sanghyuk wanders the store, checking to see for anything the forensics team may have missed but he ducks his head to keep the grin from being caught. 

This electronic store isn’t the first to be robbed in this area, like Hakyeon said. So, Sanghyuk prepared himself weeks ago. He set up a few hidden cameras and once Hakyeon is done with his integration, Sanghyuk pokes his head up from the row of laptops.

“Oh, detective, I think I’ve cracked the case!” he calls, trying to sound like an over enthusiastic rookie because that’s what he’s supposed to be, right? That’s why Hakyeon is his mentor, so he can learn from him. But Sanghyuk already knows so much.

“Oh, really?” Hakyeon replies, keeping his distance for a moment before he crosses the store to him. “And what’s your theory?”

“Three guys, all in black, one had long hair and a neck tattoo,” Sanghyuk answers, smiling at him. Hakyeon doesn’t look impressed, he’s clearly not interested in Sanghyuk’s games but the look on his face is making his heart  _ soar _ . Oh, this is going to be a fun bet.

“And how did you come up with that?” is Hakyeon’s retort, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sanghyuk looks to the row of laptops, taking the little teddy bear that’s set up there. It’s stylised to advertise a price drop and the camera embedded in the nose of the toy is very easy to miss, especially in a hurry like the robbers were. Sanghyuk pulls out the chord from the bear and plugs it into the laptop, showing Hakyeon the three suspects, one with long hair and a neck tattoo, just like he said.

“You got lucky,” Hakyeon snipes but Sanghyuk shakes his head, smiling at him with innocence.

“No, I just got here last week to do this,” he answers, unplugging the bear. “This isn’t the first electronic store to be robbed nearby this place, you were right about that. So, I set this up a week ago in hopes that it would happen. If we find these guys, we find what was stolen and the case is solved.”

“And the arrests go to you.” Hakyeon sighs when Sanghyuk grins at him, looking down at him like an evil villain. Hakyeon scoffs, lifting his hand and cuts him in the neck, turning his back before Sanghyuk can try anything in return.

He takes the bear with him and when they walk into the precinct with the three bad guys in cuffs, escorting them into the holding cell, he beelines for the briefing room to add three arrests to his name. Sanghyuk grins over his shoulder at Hakyeon who rolls his eyes in response, heading back to work. 

And so, the game begins.

  
  


***

_ “Why are the sirens so loud?” _

His mother cries next to him, unable to tell him the reason why. She has no words, nothing to offer him on this night. This is the night that their lives changed forever.

It sounds cliche, like a bad sitcom, but God, it is so far from a sitcom. He wishes there was a laugh track, that they could all pretend this never happened in the next episode of their lives but this will haunt them until the end of their days and there is nothing they can do to stop it.

_ We’re doing everything we can. This might take a while but it’s important to have hope.  _

He feels numb. He should be angry, he should be crying because nothing is getting solved but he’s numb. He has nothing to do because all he can do to balance himself is listen to his mother sobbing next to him and hope that his father comes home quickly. He was on a business trip but he took the first flight home and should be here in minutes.

And he’ll find the police searching their house because things have happened that are out of their control. It hurts, it hurts more than anything but that’s just it. There is nothing they can do because they aren’t the police. They have to keep themselves safe because that’s all they can do, that’s all they have the slightest control over.

He’s scared, terrified and pale, he’s shaking uncontrollably but his father comes home and runs from his car to them, holding him close and tries to shush his wife to get her sorrow under control. But it doesn’t work because this world will always be harsh, it will also chew everyone up and spit them out and it’s a shame that he has to learn that so early. 

Everything hurts in a way that isn’t physical. It’s all in his head and he just wants to forget this ever happened but that’s impossible. Feelings will haunt him like a dark cloud before the lightning strikes and the rumbling thunder and he has no ability to give in and get over it. There is absolutely nothing he can do, he can’t cry or scream or carry on because there is nothing left of him.

He is a husk, nothing more than a hollow shell because this is the day that his life left him empty and desolate. 

Sanghyuk is eleven years old when he learns what it’s like to hate something. He hates the world, the people in it and he finally screams out and cries into his father’s shoulder while the police side step their huddle, waiting patiently for their family to collect themselves enough to listen to what they have to say.

Sanghyuk hates the world. He doesn’t know when he’ll learn to ever love it again.

  
  


***

Sanghyuk wakes up to his alarm, blinking his eyes open to the darkness of his bedroom. He turns off his alarm and lays back down, rattled from such a dream. It’s been a long time since he has nightmares but the odd dream isn’t uncommon for him, his subconscious teasing him with memories in dream form. It’s so familiar and then it’s not and he wakes up to himself in his bed, no longer eleven years old anymore and sighs into the darkness of his bedroom. 

He lays for a while, unsure of the time but he needs to get up or he’s going to be late. He pulls on his clothes, deciding not to shower or he’ll fall asleep in the tub. His phone begins to go off and Sanghyuk is out of his apartment in minutes, running down the hallway and jumping down the stairs to rush to his car. 

He’s always on call for this reason. When there’s a case, he’s the one that gets called. Not all the time but usually when Jaehwan is working since he just loves to ring him up at all hours of the night. Sanghyuk is a good boy and obeys the road rules, making the drive in seven minutes instead of ten and climbs out of his car right as a motorcycle pulls up too.

He’s about to tell the man that this is a crime scene, that he can’t enter but it’s Hakyeon that pulls off the helmet and hangs it on the handlebars of his motorcycle, greeting Sanghyuk quickly. 

He barely acknowledges the greeting before Hakyeon is charging past him with his gun out, on guard and into the building. Backup is on its way but for now, it’s just them and there was a report of a break in on the third floor of this apartment building.

Sanghyuk moves quickly, Hakyeon against his back with their guns raised. They’re barely familiar with each other but this works with anyone, it’s good with anyone and Sanghyuk is the one calling  _ Clear _ when they search the halls and openings. The apartment isn’t difficult to locate because there’s no door on the hinges and Hakyeon is first inside, calling out to Sanghyuk once he checks the rooms.

“No one in the living room,” Sanghyuk calls as Hakyeon comes out of the master bedroom. The door is completely gone, taken because it’s nowhere to be seen and the balcony door is wide open, the wind making the sheer curtains flow and ruffle themselves with the night. Sanghyuk checks the balcony, over the edge and the fire escape but there’s no trace of anyone. He’s about to call to Hakyeon when they both hear it.

A baby is crying. Sanghyuk turns to Hakyeon in surprise, coming back inside the apartment to help him but he’s even more shocked to see his partner looking  _ pained _ , his eyes alight with new fire and he heads to the second bedroom, a nursery it seems, before either of them can utter a word. 

There's nothing out of the ordinary in the nursery, thank God and Hakyeon lifts the baby when she begins to scream, rocking and shushing her as Sanghyuk calls in the forensics team and SVU. This isn’t their case anymore if it involves children and Hakyeon is lucky he’s wearing his leather gloves still so they don’t cause any trouble for SVU.

The baby eventually falls back asleep before the bus arrives and Sanghyuk directs the detectives in, letting them do their work whilst Hakyeon keeps the baby girl to himself, almost protectively. He doesn’t disturb her in the slightest and when the paramedics greet them, only then does he hands over the girl to them, very careful to not wake her.

“Through the window,” Sanghyuk answers when Hakyeon asks how the perp got away. “It’s been hours and there's no security cameras in the alley. They were able to get away pretty easily.”

“So we barely have a case and she has no mother,” Hakyeon spits, hands on his hips. But it’s not their case anymore, it’s SVU’s and that’s all the can do for now. Hakyeon watches as the detectives file in for their case now, his eyes showing something akin to a glare but not quite. He doesn’t say anything more, signing off on the reports as the first detective on scene with Sanghyuk before he straddles his motorcycle again.

Sanghyuk pauses, watching Hakyeon as the detective takes a breath to steady himself, looking up at him. He manages a smile and that’s enough to know he’s okay even if this case is lost to another department.

“They’ll handle it,” Sanghyuk says, trying to sound reassuring. He isn’t really sure if he’s passing.

Hakyeon nods, sighing to himself. His breath comes out in a white cloud, into the crisp atmosphere of the early morning. “I know, it’s just… It rattles me, I guess. But I’m sure they’ll handle it.”

“Since we were the first detectives on the scene, it’s up to the captains to decide to give it to someone but to me, I think SVU will solve it. They encounter this a lot more than we do.”

Sanghyuk nods to Hakyeon when the senior detective lifts his helmet, settling back into his car. Things like this happen a lot and other departments are more suited to the case than they are. It can be frustrating but every day is a new day and work and they have things they need to get to. They just happened to be the closest nearby.

They ask for updates on the case and as it turns out, Hakyeon is requested to help the SVU team work it. During the day, he filters through camera footage through the lobby of the apartment building with Sanghyuk, trying to pinpoint specific things but CCTV isn’t very accurate in identifying people so they make do with what they have. Hakyeon goes back and forth between his paperwork and the screen but it’s a lot of rewinding and fast forward to try and find any sense of evidence. 

This isn’t like a normal day at work for him but it’s not too far from the mundane things he has to go through. He and Hakyeon have their eyes glued to the screen, trying to see anyone suspicious entering the building as well as the last time that the owner of the apartment was seen on camera.

“Did you have to do this a lot when you were a rookie?” Sanghyuk asks because he’ll lose his mind if he doesn’t try and balance his attention. He only just realised he was hungry and it’s starting to affect him.

Hakyeon yawns, cracking his fingers and stretching out his arms for good measure. He gives an awkward shrug in reply, blinking slowly as he tries to refocus on the screen. “Sometimes. When I was a beat cop, it was a lot of traffic monitoring and such. I’d be on the night shift for days on end, just watching the cameras.” He sniffs, leaning back and crossing his legs elegantly. Sanghyuk is confused as to how he does everything with grace. “This isn’t too far from what it used to be.”

Sanghyuk was a beat cop for a few years. Becoming a detective isn’t an easy task and he only became one a few years ago. Hakyeon has been doing this for longer than him, over a decade more. He’s slowly learning why Taekwoon wanted him to work with him but Hakyeon is a good detective so it doesn’t really offend him that much. Sanghyuk is young, with a lot to learn, but that’s okay. He can learn. He’s stubborn but he’s adaptable.

“Taekwoon told me a lot about you,” Hakyeon says, his eyes on the screen. Sanghyuk looks at him, focused but Hakyeon doesn’t budge. “But he never told me anything specific, I suppose. But you’re young, so when did you become an officer?”

It feels like forever ago but Sanghyuk has only been working as a detective for a few years. The months he spent in the academy felt like an eternity but looking back, he feels like it was just yesterday that he was there, training and spending his nights in the bunks with his friends. If he could go back with what he knows now, he would.

“I turned eighteen when I was in the academy,” Sanghyuk admits, fixing his eyes back on the screen. “I graduated before I was nineteen and became a beat cop. I only became a detective a few years ago.”

Hakyeon doesn’t laugh at him or comment on him being young like others usually do. Jaehwan was the first to call him a baby when he met him and even though he and Hongbin are similar in age, the look on his face when Sanghyuk said his age was enough to let him know what he was thinking. 

“I was young when I went into the academy, too,” Hakyeon tells him, quickly pausing the surveillance footage and printing the screen. He doesn’t say anything more and it’s not the person they’re looking for but it is important since the neighbour claimed that she wasn’t home at the time of the incident. Hakyeon jots down the time and send it off to the printer for investigation.

They spend the next few hours finishing off the tape before they find what they’re looking for. Sanghyuk sends it down to Hongbin for him to enhance and in a few minutes, they have it sent back. It’s technically Hakyeon that was asked to report back to SVU so he heads out quickly, leaving Sanghyuk to lean back at his desk, watching him disappear through the elevator.

“Did it go well?” Hyungwon asks when Sanghyuk wanders over to pick up some paperwork that the captain signed off for him. He’s on his phone but he does look up at Sanghyuk, above his glasses. It’s sort of annoying that Hyungwon hasn’t aged since he was twenty-two but Sanghyuk doesn’t comment on that fact.

He nods to him before sitting in the chair next to his desk. “Can I ask you something?” Hyungwon yawns before shrugging, like he’s already bored with his conversation but he puts down his phone to pay his full attention to Sanghyuk. They’re not really close but Sanghyuk would like to consider them more than simply colleagues.

“Could you run a check on Hakyeon?” he asks, earning a raised eyebrow. “I just want to know more about him, I guess.”

“You should ask Hongbin, then,” Hyungwon answers, turning back to his computer. “There’s nothing I’d be able to find, honestly. Not to be a bitch but you should be smarter than this, shouldn’t you?”

“You’re an ass,” Sanghyuk laughs, shaking his head. “You’ve been hanging out with Hongbin too long.”

“Guilty,” Hyungwon smiles, cracking his knuckles. “But I’ll send him an email. No promises, though, since this isn’t official work.” His fingers pause on top of his keyboard and he glances up at Sanghyuk with a grin. “Unless, I can make it sound that way?”

“Permission denied.” He laughs when Hyungwon sighs, slumping down in his chair but he does end up emailing Hongbin, judging by the text that’s left on his phone when he checks it in the next few hours.

  
  


**kongbin**

_ Dude, you’re so weird. Do you not know how to use a computer? Just look up CHA HAKYEON in the database, it’s not that hard. _

  
  


**hanhyuk**

_ You’re an ass _

  
  


**kongbin**

_ Yeah, Won told me you said the same thing to him. But it’s seriously not that hard, lol. For future reference, there you go but here’s the document _

  
  


Sanghyuk hesitates for a moment before pressing it. He asked for it, but at the same time, does he want to see it? It almost feels like a spoiler. Hakyeon doesn’t know much about him either but Sanghyuk doubts that. But then again, even if he does, he hasn’t said anything to Sanghyuk about it. They’re new partners, it’s only natural that they’re wary of each other but he hesitates with the information right there in front of him because Hakyeon hasn’t let him know any of this.

He can’t help but overthink because he knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of everyone knowing who you are. Every new precinct, every arrest, his full name and his family, everything is listed for the sake of protecting him but it makes him feel exposes. It’s hard to keep his secrets, his insecurities to himself and he’s been doing it this whole time because that’s one thing people can’t take away from him, really. 

He doesn’t open Hakyeon’s file. He locks his phone and places it down, conveniently turning to his partner he walks through the doors of the precinct, smiling softly. “Did you get them?” Sanghyuk asks as Hakyeon takes off his coat and sits down at his desk.

“It’s SVU’s case now, officially,” he answers simply. “Our information was really helpful so they’re going to keep investigating.”

“Is the baby okay?” Sanghyuk ask, leaning forward on his desk. 

Hakyeon nods, smiling to himself. “She’s safe in the hospital now and her auntie is going to pick her up since she rushed back from her mother’s house.” 

Everything falls in place after that. They get feedback on the reports and an arrest is made in the next three days. The mother is located on the account of her leaving in order to protect her child because of an abusive ex partner. The ex partner was found and charged as well, to top it off. Hakyeon whispered all of this to Sanghyuk in the briefing room, narrowly avoiding getting scolded by the captain for speaking whilst she was.

They sit down at their desks afterwards, taking a deep breath before getting into their paperwork, the kryptonite of any local superhero. Is he even a superhero? His nine year old self should be proud but it’s hard to put into words.

It’s a job and Sanghyuk tries not to fall head first into it.

  
  


***

The academy was difficult for Hakyeon.

His father was a cop, back in the day. He wasn’t pressured to become one because of his father, he will never hold that against anyone but it was an influence. And when he went into the academy, the same one his father went through and discovered all the achievements his father had received, all the praise and the awards, Hakyeon felt lost.

Could he really live up to this?

He remembers staring at his father’s framed photo in the hallway of his family home and just… looking. Nothing was going through his head in that moment, he felt nothing, really. He wasn’t sure if that was where he wanted to be. Did he want to be awarded for being a decent human being?

No, that’s not why policemen exist. They protect and stand up for those who need them to. Good cops use their authority for good and don’t let it get to their heads. That’s what inspired Hakyeon. His father never kept his worries from his family and would always other people for their opinion if he was struggling on a case that he was unsure of his own judgement on. That’s the type of person he wants to be, transparent and honest. 

He had been a teenager when he first decided to go to training. He told his father, asking how exactly he himself came to the decision and he remembers crying when his father told him his dream as a child was to become a police officer simply so he could protect the ones he loved. It became a real dream and after having Hakyeon’s brothers and sisters, his father had a reason to always get up and go in the morning for his work. He wanted to make a safe place for his family to live in and he would gladly risk his life for them to be happy.

“That’s what I want,” Hakyeon told him, tears in his eyes. “I want that, too.”

“I trust you,” his father whispered, hugging him close. Hakyeon was glad he loved him enough to let him make similar decisions that he did, even if Hakyeon had seen the anguish that the job put his father through. But it was all in the job description and the outcome was serving justice as best as they could.

He moved through the academy alone. He kept his head down and his eyes on graduation. He took everything seriously and tried his best without error so that he would have no regrets in the long run. But sometimes, he misses the solidarity of sleeping in the bunks with his squadmates because even though he wasn’t close with them, it felt like something akin to a little family.

Hakyeon grew up a little too quickly. He works hard, harder than a lot of people he’s been told but he never lets anything hold him back. If he can’t get help on something, he just does it himself. The lone wolf, as some rookies have cruelly nicknamed him but the worst is that he’s  _ legendary _ for simply doing his job right. He never gives up, even if things come crashing down on him or he’s injured and hurting. The rumor that he arrested someone while a bullet in his leg is true but it still hurt like a bitch and he was on bed rest for a number of days afterwards because he was  _ literally shot in the fucking leg _ . It might be a story to tell new rookies but it doesn’t erase the fact that it could have ended a lot worse if he hadn’t have been so lucky.

Becoming a detective is hard work for anyone. It wasn’t easy for Hakyeon. People tend to think he breezed through his training and work without any hassle and well, it’s been a while since he’s cried in the alleyway behind his precinct but it’s not like he hasn’t done that before. This isn’t easy for anyone, he feels like that’s in the job description but it’s not in fine print like people might think.

But… with everything that comes with the job doesn’t have to be negative. He’s met all kinds of people, has watched his rookies grow into the detectives they always dreamed they’d be. He’s watched children recover and become strong and hug him goodbye when they leave. It’s a nice feeling to know he’s helping even in the tiniest amount. He wants to do anything he can, it’s his  _ job _ to do anything he can.

When he met Taekwoon, something changed in him. Taekwoon used to be just like him, alone and fears by others but he changed over the years, training younger cops and learning along the way. When Hakyeon met him, things just changed and Hakyeon suddenly knew what it was like to have a friend who just  _ understood _ things. Taekwoon would hardly ever talk, his face blank but the advice he would give was better than anything Hakyeon could ever come up. They’re the same age but Taekwoon felt so much older, with so much more experience than Hakyeon could ever muster even though they had trained similarly.

“It’s always going to be hard,” Taekwoon had told him once during a stakeout. “It will always be hard, but that doesn’t mean we should give up. We should always take every failure as a sign to improve, to better ourselves. If we never learn from our mistakes, then we aren’t living.”

Hakyeon had just hugged him in reply, unable to make any sense of what was running through his brain besides gratefulness. He needed those words years ago, when he was young and impressionable but he didn’t regret having them now. To have Taekwoon understand what he meant, to relate to how he felt in the first place was the best comfort he could have asked for. 

“Thank you, Taekwoon,” Hakyeon mumbled as he pulled away from his partner, keeping his hands to himself but Taekwoon had smiled at him, rubbing his back as he kept the binoculars close to his face to continue their work.

He had been glad to call Taekwoon a mentor of sorts, a trusted partner. He had been even happier to call Taekwoon his friend, to spend time with him outside of work and to just be a normal person. There was no front around Taekwoon, no need for a wall of protection because Taekwoon knew exactly how he was feeling. Hakyeon had been a fool to think that he was really alone in his thinking and he was glad to call Taekwoon his friend after everything they had been through.

It took a long time for them to get to where they are but that’s what growth is. It doesn’t happen overnight and that’s okay. Hakyeon knew when he was ready to move on, to branch out and he took the sergeants test with Taekwoon, too. They both passed, surprisingly and they took their separate ways to improve on themselves as detectives, supporting each other from afar.

Hakyeon told Taekwoon of the precinct he had been accepted to, earning an excited string of messages from him. He told Hakyeon of one of his old rookies, Han Sanghyuk, who now worked at the precinct Hakyeon would be sergeant of. Hakyeon had been excited to meet him, to work with someone that Taekwoon once knew before and still spoke to regularly, if his information was anything to go by.

And Sanghyuk had been a handful at first but Hakyeon knew exactly what it was like to be in his position, to be forced into something that underestimates your capabilities but he had adapted quickly to Hakyeon. They’re partners, not close friends at all but they respect each other, even in the short time that they have known each other.

They work together well, honestly, even with the bet between them and Hakyeon finds himself fighting smiles around him. Sanghyuk reminds him of himself, almost. Sanghyuk is younger than him and sometimes he really does act like it; carefree and easy to joke around with. He’s serious and smart and Hakyeon is glad to have been introduced to him, to be his partner and to lean on him because they’re in the same position, the same line of work. There’s a solidarity between them that makes it easy for them to communicate.

Hakyeon isn’t lonely and he isn’t alone anymore. This job demands a lot but he made the decision to give himself to his occupation. It’s his life now and he can’t slack off, can’t let himself be controlled by his emotions when the city calls for his attention. He’s a good detective, he knows he is.

He just hopes everyone else knows it too when he’s not as confident in himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter two lol


	3. stakeout

Work is work and with it, comes the Christmas time.

Hakyeon doesn’t mind the Christmas time as much as other detective. It’s fun, honestly and this precinct is no different from his old one. There’s decorations everywhere and even Hyungwon is wearing a Santa hat at his desk, unbothered by the assocery on his head. Hakyeon finds his and Sanghyuk’s desks decorated with tinsel, a few small Christmas trees on the top and he smiles when he walks in, feeling the cheer in the atmosphere even though no one is speaking.

Sanghyuk walks in after him, yawning loudly and throwing himself into his seat with gusto. He’s so damn big that his chair smashes into his filing cabinet but it doesn’t bother him. Hongbin walks in after him, his hair a lot shorter than it was the last time Hakyeon saw him, a fact that Hakyeon comments on with a smile. He looks very cute, especially with his glasses high on his nose.

“Oh,” the cyber captain says, scratching his head. “Yeah, I usually cut it short and then just let it grow out. But I came here to give you this.”

Hakyeon takes the file from him, flicking it open. Sanghyuk looks up from his desk, pointing at his hair with a fake shocked expression and the two of them sort of match with their similar cuts. Hongbin winks at him, gesturing him over to where they stand. 

“It’s going to be a skateout,” Hongbin tells them, his finger running over the information. “I had to track down something from one of your old cases, Hyukkie, and I found some things too. The diamonds that they stole have resurfaced again, being sold from fake accounts online.”

“Holy shit,” Sanghyuk breathes, tracing his finger over the notes next to Hakyeon, over his shoulder. He tries not to take into account how damn warm Sanghyuk is and reads for himself.

It’s a plot of diamonds that went missing a few months ago. Sanghyuk worked the case but was unable to find anything so Hongbin kept his eyes open for anything that could have come up. The diamonds were supposedly shipped from Europe to Korea, illegally and then used to be encrusted into common jewelry in bulk. The European police had contacted them and a few detectives had come in but it had been for nothing since none of the leads had gone anywhere.

“If this has come up again, then they’ve gotten sloppy,” Hakyeon says, earning a hum from Sanghyuk.

“There’s going to be a supposed delivery tonight,” Hongbin says, handing them an address. “They want to get in and out, dropping them off and leaving straight after. You’ll have to watch out but there will be a truck at eleven o’clock sharp at the back of this building. I’d get there a few hours early in case the plans go haywire.”

“They haven’t caught onto your trail?” Hakyeon asks, looking up at him.

Hongbin smiles, his dimples popping. His cheeks manage to push up his glasses. “Of course not,” he says, smug, “I’m way too good for that. But I’ll be keeping you up to date and covering your tracks as well as mine.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Sanghyuk smiles, smacking his arm. Hongbin slaps him back, shooting him a glare when he goes to hit him again. 

“Old case of yours?” Hakyeon prompts once Hongbin is gone, closing the file to hand it to its rightful owner.

Sanghyuk rubs his nose, screwing up his face. “I worked it with a few people but yeah, it was difficult. We never got any leads and I even asked Taekwoon-hyung for help, but nothing came up. It went cold as soon as it came up but I’m glad it’s heating up again.”

Hakyeon nods, heading to his desk to sort things out for them tonight. “There’s a lot of money behind this, so it’s lucky you got it back up again.” They can take his motorcycle to be more inconspicuous and it’s easier to hide than a car, especially if they’re going to be on the building roof across from the location.

The hours before they set out pass slowly but Sanghyuk loads up what they need on his person. He’s got a backpack with some snacks and their files, in case they encounter someone they don’t recognise and need intel on but Hongbin will be on speed dial just in case. But the biggest obstacle isn’t the fact that they have to do a skateout. It’s the fact that Hakyeon rides a  _ motorcycle _ .

“I’m not getting on that thing,” Sanghyuk says to him, his bag hiked over his shoulder. Hakyeon straddles the bike, sitting back with a bored expression but Sanghyuk doesn’t budge. “I’m not! That’s a death machine.”

“Have you ever been on one?” Hakyeon retorts, furrowing his brow. “Answer me honestly, Sanghyuk.” He takes the helmet he keeps in his seat and tosses it to Sanghyuk. He exhales when Sanghyuk catches it safely; he would have screamed if that helmet got scratched. Maybe he cares a little too much about his bike and his equipment but he spent a lot of money on this baby.

Sanghyuk stares at him for a moment before raising his eyebrows, hanging the helmet on his hand. “No,” he drawls like a petty teenager. “But that doesn’t mean I haven’t heard the horror stories. Do you know the statistics?”

Hakyeo snorts, pulling on his leather gloves too before looking at Sanghyuk with a raised eyebrow, smug. “Do you?”

Sanghyuk blinks, caught completely off guard but he puts on his helmet in a brave act of cooperation. His visor isn’t down and his eyes tell Hakyeon that he’s anxious, so he leans over and grabs Sanghyuk’s hand, pulling him towards the bike. He gives his partner no option but to straddle the bike behind him, taking his arms and wrapping them around his stomach snugly.

“Hold onto me and you’ll be fine,” he says, his hands on Sanghyuk’s arms. “Don’t let go of me, okay? I’m the one that’s been riding motorcycles for a decade so I think I know what I’m doing.”

Sanghyuk doesn’t reply, somehow managing to making himself smaller behind Hakyeon. He feels the detective’s arms tighten around his waist comfortably. Hakyeon eases himself down into his grasp, pulling on his own helmet and kicking the bike out of its stand and starting it up. Sanghyuk tenses violently but Hakyeon lays his hand on Sanghyuk’s arm to at least  _ try _ and calm his nerves.

“Don’t let go of me,” Hakyeon yells through his helmet, over the rev of the engine. Sanghyuk doesn’t reply but he tightens his grasp around Hakyeon’s middle just a little bit and that’s all the confidence he needs to get the motorcycle into gear and speed off from the precinct.

Sanghyuk curses loud enough for Hakyeon to hear him but it’s  _ thrilling _ . Hakyeon likes the wind against his body, buffeting his jacket, the sound of his engine and the feeling of his handlebars under his gloves. It’s not common for him not to wear a helmet but that’s even more fun with the breeze pushing his hair back from his face. He likes it when it’s dark out and there’s only the stars and the highway lights to keep him company as he speeds down the empty roads. God, he misses being twenty years old and riding with his brother down the back end tracks of their uncle’s property. 

Hakyeon knows where they’re going. He has to memorise a lot of routes in the city for not only his job but the fact that he can’t just whip out his phone and check his GPS whilst driving. If he has to, he’ll stop to ask Sanghyuk but he studied the route before they left and he’d rather not stop and freak Sanghyuk out more than necessary.

They pull up to the building without any more error. Sanghyuk is the first off the bike and he rips his helmet off without hesitation, panting like a drowning man. Hakyeon is about to question why the hell he didn’t breathe when Sanghyuk exclaims, “That was fucking  _ cool!” _ His eyes have so much light in them and he clenches his fists like he can’t contain his joy, turning around on the spot with a grin of pure child innocence. 

Hakyeon smiles at him, pulling off his own helmet and shaking out his hair. He locks up his bike, taking his keys as well as Sanghyuk’s helmet and putting it away. “Not so bad, huh?” he says as they walk up the stairs of the neighbouring building to their location drop. “You get used to it quickly.”

“I thought I was going to die,” Sanghyuk admits sheepishly, pursing his lips. His hair is mused cutely, his cheeks a little red. “I used to have a really bad fear of driving, too, but I got over that when I started to learn how to do it.”

“It’s the same for riding a motorcycle,” Hakyeon says, swinging open the roof door. “I grew up riding dirtbikes, so this isn’t too different. Takes a lot of practise, though.”

Sanghyuk finds them an old bench to sit down on. The sun has long since set, the stars and the moon high in the sky and it relaxes them both a little. It’s dark on the roof to help conceal themselves while they wait and their all black outfits definitely aids their stealth as well. Sanghyuk sits down and takes off his backpack, placing it between his legs to pull out what he needs. With the file on their perps comes a whole container full of cheetos and Hakyeon stares at Sanghyuk like he just watched his partner strip down naked in front of him.

“What?” he says in reply to Hakyeon’s surprise. “I’m hungry. I get hungry on stakeouts. This is common knowledge. You should know this.”

Hakyeon shakes his head, jiggling his legs to keep the blood flowing to them. He regrets wearing jeans; he’s cold now and he has nothing to help him. “Is that a specific trait of your personality?” he asks, managing a chuckle because this is a welcome distraction from the task at hand. He doesn’t comment on the fact that he knows almost nothing about Sanghyuk as he takes the binoculars from his partner, clenching his fingers around it. Thank God he’s still got his gloves on.

Sanghyuk shifts a little closer to him, offering the cheetos to him but Hakyeon politely declines. There’s cheese balls in the tub as well and Sanghyuk rustles around for them in the bottom, his massive hands masking everything else inside. Hakyeon snorts at him when he’s able to grab a handful and shove it into his face.

“Taekwoon-hyung would always share snacks with me,” Sanghyuk tells him but it comes out muffled and he sprays crumbs onto his lap, narrowly avoiding Hakyeon’s face.

“Is that what you want?” Hakyeon laughs, shoving his shoulder. “God, eat your snacks, you toddler. I’m perfectly fine by myself.”

“I’ve never seen you eat at work. How long have we been working together, now?”

“A month.” Hakyeon has been keeping track for a little while. He likes to know when he starts a new job, purely so that if he has to move jobs, his references can be accurate down to the date, rather than the month or the year. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be here for exactly, but considering he and Sanghyuk made their bet to last a year, he’s got to be around for that long now. That’s how long his contract lasts, on the other hand.

“How long did you work with Taekwoon-hyung?” is Sanghyuk’s next question, his eyes on his hand inside the tub.

“Two years.” Hakyeon still remembers meeting Taekwoon and being horrifically intimidated by his stare. When he recounts how he met Taekwoon, Sanghyuk agrees with him wholeheartedly. Apparently, he was terrified of the detective when they first met too and that Taekwoon made him feel really small. He had yet to have grown up, since Taekwoon was in charge of him when he was a new detective and in need of an older one to help him get the hang of things. No one ever warns you of everything extra that you have to learn to become a detective and Sanghyuk confesses that he’s lucky that he had Taekwoon to guide him for as long as he did.

Sanghyuk doesn’t look at him when Hakyeon asks how he felt when he found out that Hakyeon would be his new partner. Nothing in his profile gives away how he feels and his hand pauses on the rim of the cheeto tub. “You knew I was angry,” he says slowly, his eyes on the location they’re watching. “What made me more angry is how reluctant you were to work with me.” He clears his throat, looking down at his snacks. “But I wasn’t exactly welcoming, so I’m sorry for that. I guess I got a little too arrogant.”

Well, that was definitely unexpected. “Don’t worry about it,” Hakyeon blurts out, confused at his own feelings. The last thing he expected was for Sanghyuk to  _ apologise _ to him; Hakyeon hadn’t even thought of how Sanghyuk acted towards him because he hadn’t been acting the most ‘mentor-like’. “I’m sorry, too. I should have acted more professional.”

Sanghyuk shakes his head, dismissing it. He dusts off his hands, even grabbing out some wet wipes to properly clean them. He offers his hand for Hakyeon to shake and  _ God _ , his hands are so fucking warm, even through Hakyeon’s gloves. He grips Sanghyuk’s hands with both of his, marvelled at how the hell he managed to keep them like that whilst stuffing his hand into a tub of dusty cheeto bits.

“You have it all over your face.” Before he can stop himself, Hakyeon swipes his fingers over Sanghyuk’s cheek. He immediately drops his hand when Sanghyuk smirks at him, his cheeks flushing.  _ Just because he’s young doesn’t mean you have to baby him- _ But he isn’t, he’s twenty-eight but Hakyeon finds him… cute.

He scowls at himself, trying to dismiss his own intrusive thoughts. He raises the binoculars even though he doesn’t need them but they’re big enough to hide the tops of his cheeks where his blush runs the highest. He lost all hope for his ears, though. They’re burning hot but he watches the road, smacking Sanghyuk in the chest when a truck pulls up to the location, three men climbing out of it. He watches for a moment as the three of them move, talking to each other and Hakyeon grins when the back alley lights glint off the diamonds in the back of the truck.

Hakyeon moves quickly, leaving their stuff on the roof as he races down the stairs, Sanghyuk hot on his heels. They move out and Hakyeon tells him to  _ follow his lead _ , slowing his gait to match up with Sanghyuk’s.

“What are you going to do?” he whispers but Hakyeon skips his step a little, crossing his arms. He’s scowled too many times to not be good at it by now.

Hakyeon walks up to who he thinks is the ringleader, blonde hair and too much jewelry on his fingers to be stealing diamonds. “Hey, guys? Can I have a moment?” 

The blonde looks at him, nervous and tries to make an excuse, his eyes wide. He shakes a little. “Uh, we’re not-”

“My boyfriend thinks we’re lost,” Hakyeon spits, pointing to Sanghyuk over his shoulder. 

“No, I  _ know _ we’re lost,” Sanghyuk says, quickly catching up to them. He doesn’t hesitate in the slightest, scoffing. “Are you serious? How the hell are we not lost? We’re in a  _ fucking alleyway. _ ”

“Look, do you know where this restaurant is? I forgot the name but it’s famous for serving a really good dessert, something like fudge mountain? I know it’s around here somewhere and  _ yes _ ,” he snaps, rolling his eyes at Sanghyuk who scoffs at him again, crossing his arms, “I did think I could take a shortcut and I screwed it up. Happy?”

“Well, I…” The blonde looks around, anxious. “We don’t really know this area- I’m not-”

Hakyeon makes a move of pulling out his phone but he winks at Sanghyuk, turning back to the blonde and pulling out his gun, pointing it at the culprits. Sanghyuk does the same, reciting the charges without further prompting, telling them to get on the ground. The blonde drops to his knees instantly, shaking and one of the others throws his hands up in surrender. Hakyeon is quick to cuff the blonde, having him apologising profusely. But the third one bolts and Sanghyuk sprints after him, quick on his feet. Hakyeon points his gun at the other, realising his hair is purple- How  _ young _ are these boys? 

Hakyeon puts the boys together, feeling bad when the blonde starts crying, bubbling like a baby. He calls for backup, unsure of where Sanghyuk is but he hears him coming from the opposite end of the alleyway, the culprit’s hands behind his back and a scowl on his face. Sanghyuk is smiling but Hakyeon’s eyes widen when he sees the blood on his face, dripping down his mouth.

“He punched me,” Sanghyuk says, no trace of annoyance in his voice. In fact, he smiles as he sits the culprit down with his accomplices. Hakyeon yells when Sanghyuk’s perp starts to berate the blonde for bawling his eyes out. 

“Han, your- your nose is broken?” Hakyeon says but it comes out as a question, looking at him with concern. Sanghyuk blinks at him, scowling when his perp smirks at him from the ground, smug as ever. The blood has started to run down his chin but he doesn’t wipe it. He’ll just disturb the wound and he needs it to be set back into place. 

Back up speeds in quickly, a few officers coming in and Hakyeon sighs because he didn’t call a bus, no one having been hurt. Sanghyuk laughs when an officer looks at him in shock, motioning to his face. He smiles again and there’s blood in his teeth, too. It disgusts almost everyone until Hakyeon gives up and turns him by his shoulder.

“What?” Sanghyuk blurts, his eyes wide but Hakyeon doesn’t answer, grabbing his face and setting his nose back into place with enough swiftness to make a dancer jealous. Sanghyuk flinches violently away from him, screwing up his fists as he tries to contain his squeals of pain. Hakyeon snorts at him, crossing his arms when Sanghyuk screams, “God, shit! I fucking hate you!”

“ _ Hyung _ .”

“I fucking hate you,  _ hyung _ !”

Hakyeon smirks at him, complete and utter joy because that’s the first time that Sanghyuk has called him hyung. It’s not the best situation to celebrate - Sanghyuk’s nose is literally broken and Hakyeon just set it back into place with his mediocre knowledge of the human body. Sanghyuk’s perp curses at him as he’s shoved forward into the car. Hakyeon is just glad the blonde has stopped crying, even though he seemed to be the ringleader of this. But the fairytale ending to this story is that Sanghyuk’s cold case has been solved and Hakyeon cops two arrests to his partner’s one out of this.

“Well done, Detective Han,” he smiles, patting Sanghyuk on the shoulder as his partner sighs, his shoulders slumping dramatically, his blood starting to dry.

  
  


***

“Attention!” 

Hakyeon’s voice booms through the precinct, his smile lighting up his face as well as the whole precinct on this quiet working night. Sanghyuk would laugh at him if he wasn’t in so much pain from his  _ broken nose _ . He tried to mop up the blood from his face but after Hakyeon set it back, it came gushing out again, right down his face and chest. He left it alone since he’d rather not get it all over his hoodie but there's not a chance he can save this piece of clothing. It already has paint on it from an old undercover job but the blood stains would be too obvious to try and make excuses for.

Hyungwon is still here for God knows what reason, Sanghyuk is convinced that guy never fucking sleeps, as well as the night shift cops. Hongbin was part of the relief team on the account of the case being Sanghyuk’s and when they finally make it back to the precinct, Hongbin is first up the stairs to their desks, sighing in relief when he sees them both.

But it’s Hyungwon that speaks to them first. “What’s with your-” He pauses to gesture at his face, specifically around his nose and Sanghyuk sighs, muttering the story. He’s in a shit load of pain and he can feel the headache that’s incoming in all its horrific glory. The bright lights aren’t helping him at all. When can he sleep?

Hyungwon makes a disgusted face but is back to his paperwork in seclnds, glasses high on his nose. Hongbin snorts at the commotion, crossing his arms. He gestures for Hakyeon to continue and Sanghyuk really hates that Hakyeon’s legs  _ still  _ look really good in his jeans. Fuck this headache.

“Just spit it  _ out _ ,” he curses, head in his hands. Hongbin is nice enough to rub his back. Hakyeon flicks open the file and Sanghyuk hears him shift, glancing at him to find that Hakyeon grabbed his skateout bag. He makes grabby hands for it and his partner passes it to him. He tears into it just to get his drink bottle and skulls the whole thing.

“Okay,” Hakyeon deadpans, squinting at him. “First of all, Detective Han’s nose is broken but I set it back into place, so no errors there.” Sanghyuk moans in reply, waving his hand. He needs to go to a hospital, fuck.

Hakyeon hums, eyes on the file. “But, we stopped the drop and relocated the lost diamonds, thus closing this case.” He smiles at Hyungwon, earning a smile in return which makes Sanghyuk’s jaw drop. “Bring in the whiteboard for me, Hyungwonnie.”

_ Hyungwonnie? _ Even Hongbin looks confronted by the nickname but Hyungwon of all people doesn’t protest, standing up without question to grab it from the briefing room. 

Hakyeon wipes off the score, adding one to Sanghyuk and two to him. He smiles at Sanghyuk which ends up hurting his brain more than his broken nose. He moves but his body feels like it’s full of cotton, like he’s in slow motion. He hears Hongbin sigh and he blinks, Hakyeon in front of him in his chair in an instance. How did he get there so fast? What is going on?

“Okay, Han, look at me,” he says softly, his fingers light on Sanghyuk’s cheeks. He wants to yawn so badly but it will hurt. He flinches when something wet touches his face, hissing when it stings.

“Shh, it’s disinfectant,” Hakyeon whispers to him, Hongbin peering down at him curiously. 

“Have you never seen a broken nose before?” Sanghyuk spits at the captain, scowling but Hongbin just laughs, pushing his hair back even though it’s short enough to not bother any of them. It’s more of a comfort than anything; Hongbin knows Sanghyuk likes it when people play with his hair. 

Hakyeon works silently, his fingers light and never pressing for long. He apologises softly when Sanghyuk hisses in pain but he manages to stuff his nose to keep it in place, laying down a metal splint and taping it down. He angles Sanghyuk’s face, looking at his profile before frowning to himself. “Is his nose always like that?”

“Yeah, it’s massive,” Hongbin smirks, recoiling in pain when Sanghyuk punches him in the ribs. Hakyeon’s laugh is nice and soothing to Sanghyuk’s ears. But he still wants to go to sleep and wake up when everything is healed and his nose isn’t full of gauze and covered in tape. Is that too much to ask? It seems God once again isn't kind to him.

Hakyeon smiles softly at him, touching his cheekbones again before dropping his hands. “Go home, Han. I’ll file the paperwork, so go to bed.”

Sanghyuk doesn't move for a few moments, watching as Hakyeon routinely packs up the first aid kit. It even has his name on the top of it, filled to the brim with just about anything someone could need from allergy medication to skinny teasers fit to pull out miniscule pieces of glass. Sanghyuk lifts his hand to touch it, to look through it because he hasn't seen this much medical supply since he was in Jaehwan’s morgue office but Hakyeon smacks his hand away, a frown on his face.

“How do you know how to treat a broken nose?” he blurts out, rubbing his knuckles.

Hakyeon purses his lips, placing the kit into his lap with a little more force than necessary. The damn thing is as big as a backpack. “I’ve seen a lot of wounds. I’ve set a lot of noses, too.” He laughs once, his eyes reminiscent but his face drops into a deadpan when he catches Sanghyuk looking at him weirdly. “I’ve been on the force close to fifteen years, Han. I’ve seen a lot of shit to know how to do things, but that being said, I’m not a doctor. This will tie you over for the time being but you should see someone who is actually trained in medicine.”

He stands, heading back to his desk and that's the end of that. Hakyeon opens the file and pulls out the multiple documents he needs to fill out in order to place the arrests they've made. Sanghyuk will have to look over his own file in the morning but that's for future Sanghyuk to worry about.

“Go  _ home _ ,” Hakyeon demands when Sanghyuk hangs around too long afterwards, not looking up from his paperwork. “I'll see you in the morning.”

Sanghyuk nods once, waving at Hyungwon who’s got a curious look in his eye. Maybe it’s just the lighting. He doesn't care anymore, really. The fresh air outside hurts his nose and he calls himself a taxi because there's no way he's driving when he almost passed out from breathing in too hard.

He falls asleep in the taxi, startling awake when the driver shakes his knee and he pays with no more than a mumble of thanks. He barely catches himself from face planting into his mattress once he's inside his apartment, ripping off his shirt. Once he's settled, Sanghyuk says goodbye to the waking world.

  
  


***

“Do I not get the pity vote for the arrests?”

“You broke your nose, not your leg,” Jaehwan snaps, uncharacteristically annoyed. He's got a pair of teasers up Sanghyuk’s nose while the detective tries not to spin on his chair. They could have done this in the privacy of Jaehwan’s office but Sanghyuk has a meeting in a little while and he needs to make sure Hakyeon set his nose right or he's fucked.

“Well, he did a pretty good job,” Jaehwan comments, impressed. “It’s set right- Actually, it’s a little scary how well he set it. Damn, if I didn't know it was him, I would have thought a doctor already did it for you.”

“Thanks?” Sanghyuk doesn't know what to say but he's glad his nose is fine. Jaehwan puts the metal splint back on with fresh tape and spins him around, shoving him out the door.

“You'll be late,” the doctor says with a smug smile, waving at the glare Sanghyuk sends him.

The meeting is actually Hakyeon and Sanghyuk debating who gets the arrest. Sanghyuk took the fall for the arrest, copping a broken nose from it and Hakyeon very kindly offered to do their paperwork so that doesn't count. He tells Hakyeon that when they're alone in the break room, fighting at the table.

“How the hell is that fair?” Hakyeon asks, throwing his hands up. “I put the cuffs on the two of them. That's two arrests, you fool.”

“Yeah, but I’m young,” Sanghyuk teases, even pouting for the effect. “Look me in my bruised eyes and my broken nose, all bloody and shit, and tell me why you can't give me  _ one _ more arrest.”

He tries his best puppy eyes on Hakyeon and to his credit, his partner barely flinches. He does hesitate though but leans forward, right in Sanghyuk’s face and whispers, “The arrest is mine, Detective Han. It’s not my fault you got in a fight.”

“But it’s my case,” Sanghyuk whispers back, smiling when Hakyeon’s lip twitches.

Someone clears their throat and Hakyeon reels back in shock, glancing around. He makes a God awful sound when he meets eyes with the man at the door but Sanghyuk can't really blame him even if he does sound like a dying rat because the man is  _ very _ attractive.

“Can I speak to a detective or do I have to sit through your primary school flirting spree again?” he asks, his voice deeper than Sanghyuk expected. His hair a little long but he looks very good in a suit, his attire clearly business even if Sanghyuk can see a tattoo peeking up from his collar. 

“Wonshikkie,” Hakyeon greets cheerfully, standing up. “I didn't- You didn't tell me you were coming.”

Wonshik raises his eyebrow, completely unimpressed. He huffs a laugh when Hakyeon hugs him, patting his back. “It’s good to see you, hyung,” he says quietly, a smile on his handsome face. Sanghyuk feels very awkward all of a sudden but Wonshik fixes his gaze on him when he pulls away, gesturing to his face. Sanghyuk squints, glancing down at Wonshik’s hands on Hakyeon’s hips as an excuse to look anywhere but Wonshik’s face. The man drops his hands slowly, shoving them into his pockets. “What’s wrong with your face, kid?”

“I got my nose broken,  _ bro, _ ” Sanghyuk retorts, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. 

Wonshik snorts, clicking his tongue. There’s a  _ clack _ of a bar but Sanghyuk is confused as to what the hell that sound was. “Righto. You must be his partner, yeah? Han Sanghyuk?”

Sanghyuk nods, offering his hand. Wonshik shakes his hand firmly, grinning at him like an excited teenager. “But who are you? And, not to be rude, but why are you here?”

“Kim Wonshik, I’m a district attorney. Hyung and I have been friends for some time and I came by to drop off some paperwork. I need to meet with your captain, too but it’s nice to meet you.”

Kim Wonshik. Why does Sanghyuk know that name? It’s not because he knows Hakyeon and they seem to be very close but Sanghyuk isn’t focused on that. He looks down as Hakyeon sits down, scowling when all he sees is his metal splint on his swollen nose.

Hakyeon clears his throat, looking up at Wonshik with bright eyes. “Are you transferring here?”

“Oh, God no,” Wonshik laughs suddenly, earning a slap to the hip for that. “No, I’m here to transfer some old paperwork as well as report to your captain. I need her to sign off on some things so that she can assist me in court, too.” Hakyeon looks up at him for a moment before he furrows his brow. Wonshik’s ears turn pink and he ends up snorting, shaking his head. “I’m lying to you a little bit. I wanted to see you in your new precinct, too.”

“Even I know you’re kissing ass,” Sanghyuk laughs but he’s too far away from Hakyeon for him to land a good hit. “But your name sounds familiar. Have we met before?”

Wonshik thinks for a moment, looking to the side before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think so. I would remember if I met you before.” He knocks on the table, signaling his leave. “Well, I best be off. I do actually have to speak to your captain.” He pats Hakyeon’s shoulder before he leaves but pauses at the door frame. “Oh, and Han? Taekwoon-hyung says hey.”

Sanghyuk slams his hand on the table, scoffing. “Bastard! You’re the hot DA!” Why didn't he realise it sooner? And he calls himself a detective.

Wonshik laughs again, his smile innocent. “So he does call me that. Good to know.” He waves at them, heading out into the precinct and earns himself a strange look from Hyungwon before he's directed into the captain’s office. Even his walk screams confidence and Sanghyuk now understands why Taekwoon apparently struggles to talk around him.

“Is that what Taekwoon actually calls him?” Hakyeon asks quickly, his voice dropping into a whisper. 

There's no one around so Sanghyuk doesn't know why he's whispering but he does it back, his eyes wide. “Yes, detective. You solved the case.” Hakyeon moves too quickly for Sanghyuk to block the neck chop that follows that comment. “But you guys seem… close.”

Hakyeon lifts his eyebrow but doesn't comment on the hesitation, thank the Lord. “Yes. Wonshik and I have been friends for a few years now. He became the DA at my old precinct. Taekwoon met him when he had to present evidence for a case that Wonshik took on.”

“Yeah, I received the text messages on his court day,” Sanghyuk grimaces, scratching his head. “But if he knows that hyung thinks he's hot, then he's obviously not doing a good job of hiding it.”

“Oh, no, he's not.” Hakyeon’s laugh is more of a snort than a chuckle and he shakes his head with a sigh. “Wonshik is acutely aware of his crush. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.”

Sanghyuk hums, glancing at the captain’s office but Wonshik hasn't left yet. Hyungwon is staring through the window of the captain’s office before he seems to lose interest, dropping his gaze back to his phone. But Sanghyuk doesn’t comment on anything more, fixing his gaze on the whiteboard again, blinking at it.

“Please, can I-”

“I’m not giving you the arrest.”

Sanghyuk curses, sliding out of his chair and leaving the break room, ignoring the smug chuckle that Hakyeon lets out as he leaves.

  
  


***

Hakyeon flinches when Jaehwan pulls his lollipop from his mouth, sighing loudly into the quiet room. The doctor smacks his lips together, rocking back and forth on his heels and when he starts to hum, Hakyeon glares at him, gesturing at the crime scene in front of them with a strained face.

“Sorry,” the doctor whispers, putting the lollipop back in his mouth. “I’ve been awake for three days straight.”

Hakyeon nods awkwardly, taking a breath. Photos are being taken and Hakyeon glances at the door when Sanghyuk walks through the door, rubbing his hands together. It’s his tired brain that recognises how good he looks in a leather jacket on and how much Hakyeon would give to touch his hair but he doesn’t because he’s professional and not stupid.

“It’s five in the morning, can we get this going?” Hakyeon asks now that his partner is here. Jaehwan nods, gesturing to the scene before them. It’s a robbery but there’s obvious blood near the broken window, splattered on the inside of the apartment. 

“Caught them on the way out,” Jaehwan comments. “But that’s how they got in and out. Two laptops, a bunch of clothes, a watch and some cash was stolen.”

“So, why are you here?” Sanghyuk asks, frowning at him. Jaehwan smiles and pinches the younger man’s cheek.

“Because of the blood,” he answers, pulling out his lollipop again. “And I had to take photos. It’s five in the morning, like you said, so I figured I’d come in anyways.” He smiles, walking through the apartment to the window. “Missed you guys and all.”

“No, you didn’t,” Sanghyuk snorts but there’s no further protest from anyone. Hakyeon follows the doctor and inspects the window, squatting down at the scene. Jaehwan recounts what was stolen again as Sanghyuk writes it down quickly, glancing at Hakyeon in a squint. 

“The locks on the doors are in place, as well as the other windows,” Hakyeon says, pointing to the other windows. The apartment is a loft, clean and minimalistic. There’s no photos of any family or friends of the owner of the apartment, who’s now talking to Sanghyuk whilst they survey the apartment. She’s crying, not distaught but enough to tug at the heartstrings. Hakyeon looks away from her.

“Can you think of anyone who would do this?” Sanghyuk asks softly as the woman sits down with him, nodding along with him when he prompts her. She says she doesn’t know who would do it or why some of her specific possessions were stolen. The clothes turn out to be a bit expensive but Hakyeon blinks at the window, taking the tweezers from Jaehwan and pulling a shard of glass from the frame, placing it in the bag Jaehwan holds open for him. Most of this case will be solved once the DNA runs through.

The woman is trying her hardest not to cry again so Sanghyuk hesitantly lifts his hand to touch her shoulder in reassurance. “Do you have a safe place to go while we investigate this?”

She nods, wiping her eyes and Sanghyuk leaves her alone so she can pack a bag. He’ll escort her to where she needs to go, leaving Hakyeon to do the dirty work with Jaehwan. They head out together and split off and an hour later, Sanghyuk is back in the briefing room with Hakyeon, waiting for Jaehwan’s DNA report. 

But Sanghyuk pauses when they take a look at the evidence, his brow furrowed deeply. Hakyeon glances at him, absentmindedly smiling when he realises that Sanghyuk’s swelling has lessened substantially since last week. His partner points at the photos of the owner of the apartment where the photo is printed underneath  _ victim _ in capitals.

“The blood was on the inside of the apartment,” Sanghyuk comments, squinting at the board. He looks cute but Hakyeon just looks at the pinboard, his eyes half-lidded. “But my question is why would they break the window? She lives on the eighth floor. It’s not an easy feat.”

Hakyeon blinks, the cogs clicking in his brain quickly. “Also, did you notice that most of the glass had been cleaned up already?” he adds, grabbing the file with Jaehwan’s photos. “And it’s on the outside too. I would have said this to you earlier but with the owner in the room, it would have caused an issue.”

Sanghyuk nods, taking the photos and pinning them to the board quickly. “We can’t rule her out, I don’t think. You got the security footage, right?”

They set up shop in the downstairs computer room. Hongbin watches them move through the office with a smug smirk. He narrowly avoids the snipe from Sanghyuk, laughing as he mockingly types on his computer, pretending he’s actually doing work. 

It’s cold in the backroom but it works out well enough for them. They search through it for a while in complete silence, both of them tired and Hakyeon isn’t proud of it but he starts to nod off in his chair. Sanghyuk doesn’t notice but he does pause the tape suddenly after a while, startling Hakyeon so bad he almost falls out of his chair. His partner snorts at him but reaches over to rub his back to calm him down and Hakyeon is too sleepy to not enjoy it.

“There’s nothing here,” he concludes, his voice outrageously soft even in the dark of the room. It’s nice, his voice is really nice but that’s not the focus right now. Hakyeon nods, sniffing loudly and standing up but Sanghyuk’s hand is back on his shoulder, pushing him back down. 

Sanghyuk’s smile is soft, his eyes holding what little light there is in this room. “Sleep here, Cha. I’m going back to the apartment to see if we missed anything. There were no photos inside and that leads me to believe that she’s closed of. Her apartment isn’t an easy hit and we need more evidence to connect it back to her, given that she might be our perp.”

Hakyeon tries to keep his yawn to himself but fails and Sanghyuk smiles at him again, shaking his head. He quietly leaves without another word and Hakyeon barely fights it. He closes his eyes and falls asleep again without another thought.

  
  


***

_ “Cha, wake up.” _

Hakyeon does just that and almost draws his gun in defense but he recognises Sanghyuk, dropping himself back into his chair with exasperated breath. His heart is beating too fast and he sighs, shaking his head to help himself try and focus. “God, Han! Don’t… Don’t  _ do  _ that.”

Sanghyuk does him no favour, laughing at his misfortune with a small chuckle. “Get up. I have the owner of the apartment in custody, so come help me interrogate her.”

Hakyeon nods, rubbing his eyes quickly. He stands up but his legs are dead asleep, the blood rushing back to his head too quickly for him to not be dizzy. He stumbles a little but Sanghyuk’s quick reflexes aid Hakyeon, his hands on his shoulders to stabilize him. His eyes are worried but Hakyeon shakes his head, muttering, “I’m fine,” to reassure him.

Sanghyuk lets him go, almost in embarrassment, keeping his hands to himself and he gestures to the door for Hakyeon to leave first. They have a job to do and Hakyeon is glad he’s able to switch his brain to detective mode and block out everything for a while. Sanghyuk is quick behind him and Hakyeon stays in the watch room, behind the one way glass to monitor the investigation.

“So,” Sanghyuk starts, his voice crackling through the intercom so Hakyeon can hear it. “Miss Park, you called the police at eleven in the evening, reporting that someone had forcefully broken through your window and robbed your apartment. Is that correct?” As he speaks, he opens the case file, taking out the photos Jaehwan took as well as the document that Hakyeon listed of the belongings that were stolen.

“I don’t know why I’m here,” Park pleads, holding her hands between her legs nervously. She looks around, confused but doesn’t say anymore. Sanghyuk doesn’t look her in the eye for a moment, steadying his case file.  _ Good work,  _ Hakyeon thinks, impressed.

“You’re here because I can’t rule you out as a suspect,” Sanghyuk replies, finally looking up. He’s relaxed, leaning back in his chair, open. He’s making her more anxious but he isn’t meaning to. Hakyeon lets it slide for the moment, watching it unravel.

“The glass was the confusing part,” he says slowly, pushing the photo towards Park. “It had already been cleaned up. I thought that explained the blood already, but it doesn’t. My partner and I looked into it and I realised something. The glass was on the inside of the apartment but we had to test the blood, as well. Now, Miss Park, this can be sorted calmly if you would show me your arm.”

Hakyeon holds his breath, watching as Park shakes her head but rolls up her sleeve, revealing a few scratches from a glass shard. Sanghyuk clicks his tongue, waiting for the confession and Park spits it all out in a rush, saying how she thought she wouldn’t be caught, how she needed the money. She confesses that her brother helped her do it and Sanghyuk waves at Hakyeon without looking, signalling him to get moving to find the brother.

An arrest for both of them leads them to a tie in the bet but Hakyeon smiles at Sanghyuk once they put the brother and sister into holding. His partner grins back, proud of himself. He’s about to ask a question, sitting down at his desk to handle the paperwork but Hakyeon’s yawn interrupts him, making him flush in embarrassment. He’s tired, run down and it’s not common that he feels like this but he knows the only way to fix it is to sleep it off and get back into his routine of work. They’ve been handling some paperwork from their own cases, signing off on arrest reports for both of them but Hakyeon is feeling it now, especially since it’s almost midnight.

He tries to apologise for not carrying his weight in the case but Sanghyuk shakes his head, waving him off. He’s not disappointed and Hakyeon feels a little calmer with that knowledge. His partner takes a Santa hat from the side of his desk and puts it on, looking adorable with his striped turtleneck and soft hair.

“Merry Christmas, hyung,” he says, leaning back in his chair. He smiles, almost like a kid with the way his eyes crinkle up and Hakyeon laughs, checking his phone for the date and realising exactly what he means. It’s midnight and Hakyeon’s laugh turns into a sigh as he pockets his phone, glancing back at his partner.

“Merry Christmas, Sanghyuk,” Hakyeon answers, shaking his head as he crosses the floor to the elevator, glad to be going home for Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what u think so far!
> 
> and pls... if u talk abt this fic i wanna see ): u can leave me stuff on my [cc!](https://curiouscat.me/jungztaekwoon)


	4. meet the DA

Sanghyuk spends Christmas with Taekwoon and his family.

Well, it’s more Sanghyuk shows up for dinner and stays over in Taekwoon’s bed because he’s basically a little brother to their family even though nothing is official. Sanghyuk doesn't like going home for Christmas purely because it’s a long commute and he usually has to work but he got the night off and called Taekwoon.

_ “Yes, come over. I'll feed you,”  _ Taekwoon told him on the phone, the smile evident in his voice and when Sanghyuk knocked on the door, his old mentor hugged him like he hadn't seen him in years when in reality, it had only been a few months.

“It’s cold,” Taekwoon says cutely as he pulls away. He shuts the door behind Sanghyuk. His hand never leaves his shoulder because Taekwoon has always been a touchy person, even more so with the people he’s close with but he looks at Sanghyuk weirdly, his brow furrowed. “Your nose. Did you break it?”

“Uh, yeah.” Sanghyuk runs a finger over his nose, the bump barely there but still enough of a ridge to be present. “A few weeks ago. Cha and I took my old diamond heist case, the Se-”

“The Seoul bank heist, yes, I remember it,” Taekwoon drawls, shaking his head. “One of them hit you?”

“Yeah, it was awesome,” Sanghyuk laughs, ignoring Taekwoon’s pointed look. “It was kind of funny, actually. Cha pretended to be my boyfriend and we had a fight before he pulled his gun. We had a stakeout.”

Taekwoon hums without further comment and takes Sanghyuk’s jacket from him, dusting off his shoulders. He frets a little until Sanghyuk stops him, his hands clasped around his wrists. Taekwoon bites his cheek and lets go, forcing a smile that they both know is horribly fake.

Sanghyuk greets Taekwoon’s family quickly but he came late to avoid the wave of the gathering. Taekwoon’s parents are already in bed and his sisters are at the table, having already put their children to bed. The Jung’s family home is big, considering they already had a big family when Taekwoon was growing up so there’s more than enough space for all of them and Sanghyuk is reassured that he will have a bed to sleep in tonight.

“Do you really want me to stay, hyung?” he asks Taekwoon once they’re in the kitchen, away from the remaining family who are still awake. Sanghyuk has a beer in his hand but he’s barely touched it and Taekwoon turned down an offering from his sister just before, leaving him with his glass of juice that was really meant for his nephew in the morning.

Taekwoon looks at him like he’s mad. “Of course I want you to stay? I haven’t seen you in a long time. Do you not want to stay?” His questions come out in a rush, like he's genuinely offended. It makes Sanghyuk laugh.

Sanghyuk lifts his hand to Taekwoon’s shoulder. “No, I want to stay. I guess I was just thinking about things.”

His old mentor looks at him for a moment before taking Sanghyuk’s hand, leading him to the back of the house, out into the backyard. There’s lawn chairs and they’re lucky it’s not too cold out so they can really talk without chattering teeth. Taekwoon draws himself in on his chair and Sanghyuk can’t help but think of how well domestic life suits him. Even now, just in the presence of his family home, he looks so much younger, like all the stress from his job has been lifted in a few simple hours.

“Tell me what’s new,” he says, his long legs folded in close to him and Sanghyuk leans back in his chair, sighing with his beer resting on his knee. He doesn’t really want it anymore.

“The truth will make you bored.”

“I don’t care. I’ve missed you.”

Sanghyuk smiles to himself, looking out into the backyard. “I made a bet with Cha. That’s really all that’s new. You already knew I was working with him.”

Taekwoon ignores his snipe, shaking his hair out of his face. It’s getting long, so much so that it covers his ears now. “Are you happy with him?” he asks instead, eyes elsewhere.

“Well, I don’t  _ hate _ him,” Sanghyuk replies, weighing his options but Taekwoon shakes his head quickly.

“No, that’s not what I asked.”  _ Full detective mode incoming. _ “I asked if you were happy with him, Hyuk. I want to know if I… made the right decision in the recommendation.”

Sanghyuk wonders that sometimes too but he can’t blame Taekwoon. He’s still young and while he likes to think he’s confident, he does have a lot to learn still. That;s what Taekwoon wanted for him, that’s why Taekwoon was assigned to him in the first place when he first came to the precinct. Taekwoon has always been the one to take care of him, to make sure he felt safe. Sanghyuk can’t be upset about that.

“You did,” he tells Taekwoon, looking at him finally. “I didn’t like what you did but Cha isn’t an ass. He’s… painfully good at his job so I kind of admire him, even if he can be a little annoying.”

Taekwoon snorts, looking down at his hands. He tries to keep his face in check but it doesn’t work. He looks ridiculous, his big cheeks pulled down. He starts to giggle, yelping when Sanghyuk smacks him on the arm, albeit a little hard but it’s not like it’s uncalled for. Once he’s finally done, he looks at Sanghyuk, reaching over to take his hand.

“You know why I did it,” he says softly, holding his hand tightly. “I-”

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” Sanghyuk laughs, squeezing his hand back. “Seriously, hyung. I don’t mind. Well, I did but… You get it.”

“Do you?” Taekwoon teases, yelping when Sanghyuk squeezes his hand way too hard. “Okay! Please, let me go.” He gasps, flailing his other hand and smacking Sanghyuk on the hand so he lets him go easily. 

Sanghyuk stands up, stretching his back and cracking his neck. Taekwoon watches him for a moment, a small smile on his face. He looks too proud so Sanghyuk puts his hand on his face to get him to  _ stop _ . 

“Stop avoiding my love,” Taekwoon whines, ripping his hand off his face. He stands too and without hesitation, he cuddles Sanghyuk. They’re almost the same size but Taekwoon makes himself small. Even with that, it feels like he’s hugging a parent with the way the older detective threads his fingers through the back of Sanghyuk’s hair, soothing him and he rocks them a little like a mother shushing her child.

“I just want to sleep,” Sanghyuk whispers to him after a while, when they’ve both resorting to leaning on each other instead of actually hugging. Well, Taekwoon has his arms wrapped around his shoulders still but he doesn’t mind too much. It’s Christmas time and he’s with Taekwoon; he really couldn’t ask for anything better.

“Okay,” Taekwoon replies, pulling away finally. He takes Sanghyuk’s beer, pouring it out before throwing the bottle into the outside trash can. “Merry Christmas, Hyukkie. I love you.”

Sanghyuk looks at him for a moment before making a weird sound, muttering an “I love you, too.” Taekwoon beams at him, his cheeks full and Sanghyuk really likes to see him happy, domestic and comfortable. “Merry Christmas, hyung.”

  
  


***

Sanghyuk walks into the lobby of the precinct three weeks later, spotting Hakyeon from the back of his head and making a beeline for him, catching him in the elevator. His partner looks at him in confusion but Sanghyuk fixes his jacket in the reflection of the doors like nothing is wrong, rubbing his nose quickly before turning to Hakyeon.

“You changed your hair,” he blurts out instead, surprising himself at his own words. Hakyeon’s hand reaches up to his hair, nodding bashfully. His hair is a little shorter now but still hanging over his forehead and it’s light brown, fluffier than before. It looks nice and it suits him really well. He looks  _ young  _ and attractive, especially since he’s in all black with a long overcoat and Sanghyuk blinks, completely forgetting what he wanted to say. Hakyeon looks good in casual clothes but in his official police uniform, he looks even better and now Sanghyuk is having a hard time focusing his brain. “Uh… It looks nice.”

Hakyeon says a small thank you before asking, “What is it?” He looks up at Sanghyuk and he just stares at his partner for a moment before realising that Hakyeon has indeed asked him a question that he is required to answer.

“It’s Hyungwon-hyung’s birthday,” he answers, almost messing up the wording. He needs to catch a grip. “Don’t make it a big deal. He doesn’t really like to celebrate it at work.”

Hakyeon nods, turning back to the elevator’s doors. There’s a ding and Hakyeon leaves first, waving to Hyungwon and wishing him a happy birthday quietly. The assistant smiles at him, looking back at his phone without another word and Hakyeon sits down, logging onto his computer quickly. Sanghyuk is surprised that it went well considering that someone wished Hyungwon a happy birthday last year and he threatened to eat their tongue. But then again, that could have been his weird way of thanking them. Sanghyuk doesn't really know.

He sits down too, looking at his phone. There’s a text from Hongbin which makes him smile, telling him that he’s planned a small gathering for Hyungwon’s birthday at a bar tonight. Sanghyuk shows his phone to Hakyeon, letting him know and his partner nods, smiling at him. Hopefully the assistant won't mind too much.

“Hyung, you ready to go?”

Sanghyuk startles at Wonshik’s voice, looking up at the district attorney who only spares him a glance. Hakyeon hums, wheeling his chair out and he stands up, dusting off his uniform. He pulls his coat back on and Wonshik fixes his collar, pointedly ignoring the glare that Sanghyuk is sending him. But he stops himself short when Hakyeon looks at him, bidding him farewell before leaving. He smiles back at him, looking back at his computer without another word but Hyungwon catches him, smirking at him like the cat that got the cream.

“Someone has a crush,” he says, pursing his lips when Sanghyuk glares at him. He leans on his desk, suddenly immersed in the gossip that has just presented itself. Just because it’s his birthday doesn't mean Sanghyuk won't punch him.

“I don’t have a crush,” Sanghyuk answers snappily, rolling his eyes. This isn’t highschool - none of this is exactly  _ professional _ either. “Don’t be stupid, hyung. I know you’re smarter than that.”

“Oh, I’m definitely smart.” Hyungwon leans back in his chair and smiles innocently, his eyes bright. “I also know what schools boys look like when their crush hangs out with their best friend. You’re jealous of Attorney Kim.”

Sanghyuk rolls his eyes again, leaning on his table with a forced smile. It’s not hard to tell that he’s not messing around but Hyungwon levels him with a smug gaze. “I’m not jealous, he’s Cha’s friend. They’ve known each other for a long time. And- I don’t have a crush on my partner! Sure, he’s attractive, I’m not blind but I don’t have a crush on him.”

Hyungwon throws his hands up and the room goes completely silent at the command, everyone’s eyes on Sanghyuk. A few other detectives pause at their desks, namely Chansik and Hoseok who both grin at him like they know something he doesn’t. 

Sanghyuk groans, grabbing his file and heading to the break room to escape their gazes. He takes his phone with him but he doesn’t text Hongbin to complain or the cybercrime captain will never let him hear the end of it. He doesn’t even know why Hakyeon was in his uniform for today but considering Wonshik picked him up, it’s only logical that Hakyeon is appearing in court to present evidence for a case that Wonshik is in charge of. Sanghyuk doesn't have a thing for uniforms, that's  _ Taekwoon _ . 

Hakyeon returns at the end of the day, right when Sanghyuk returns with a perp. He doesn’t have time to change out of his uniform which is frustrating because he looks damn fucking good in it but Sanghyuk nods to him as he puts his perp in holding, closing and locking the door behind him. He ignores the criminal whining that he didn't do anything wrong even though Sanghyuk found a bag of cocaine on him ten minutes ago.

“What for?” Hakyeon cocks his head at the perp, adjusting his cuffs nonchalauntly. He looks pristine, polished.

“Dealing,” Sanghyuk answers, scratching his nose. He puts his hands on his hips, looking Hakyeon up and down in silent question and his partner raises an eyebrow at him, a smug smile on his face that Sanghyuk chooses to  _ ignore _ . 

“Court appearance for Wonshik’s case. I arrested a perp for him a while back and he took over the case since it became a lot bigger than we thought it would.” He yawns, cracking his knuckles loudly. “It’s over now, so the problem has been solved.”

They look at each other for a moment before Hakyeon smiles, heading to the briefing room. Sanghyuk follows him, watching him change their numbers and smirks when Hakyeon sighs, noticing that he’s in the lead by three arrests.

“What are you doing to make me do?” he asks, turning around to look at him with a pointed stare. 

Sanghyuk looks down at him with half lidded eyes, raising his brows. “What would be the worst thing in the world for you to do?” Hakyeon crosses his arms, obviously thinking but Sanghyuk grins at him again, an idea in his head. “Let me ride your motorcycle for a week.”

“I’d rather choke on my own spit,” Hakyeon answers immediately, scoffing. “I rather- That’s so- You don’t even know how to  _ ride _ it, Han, that’s-”

“Woah, you’re calling me Han now?” Sanghyuk smirks at Hakyeon’s wide eyes. The pure disgust in his voice makes it so much sweeter. “I thought we were on a first name basis,  _ Cha _ .”

“I’m going to claw your eyes out,  _ Han, _ ” he snaps, glaring at him. “Fine. If you win then you can  _ destroy _ my bike. But when  _ I _ win,  _ you _ can…” He thinks for another moment before smirking, licking his lips and Sanghyuk really dislikes the way he looks down at that. “You can go on the world’s worst date with me.”

“And what would that be?” Sanghyuk asks sweetly, raising his eyebrows in challenge.

“I’ll have to plan it.” Hakyeon tilts his head at him, looking like the epitome of innocent but his eyes say completely otherwise. He’s a  _ devil  _ and Sanghyuk definitely does  _ not _ like him. He hates Hakyeon and his coy little smile and pretty eyelashes. 

“Do we have a deal?” Hakyeon asks sweetly, offering his hand for Sanghyuk to shake. He does immediately, gripping Hakyeon’s hand  _ hard _ and walks out of the briefing room before his partner can see his pink ears.

  
  


***

  
  


Hakyeon still remembers taking the sergeant’s test. 

His brain started to hurt an hour into it and he’s quite sure that Taekwoon fell asleep five minutes ago. He’s not even shaking like he normally would be. He feels completely numb as he writes in his answers but he flinches when Taekwoon surges up out of nowhere and continues the test, earning a few weird looks from the other detectives around them.

But Hakyeon finishes a half hour early and he feels himself start to sweat. He stands up suddenly, his chair scraping loudly across the floor that makes others cringe. If he doesn’t hand in his test now, he’ll overthink it even more and he really doesn’t want to cry in front of this room of people. He ignores the looks and the wide eyes of Taekwoon and hands in his test, leaving before the officer can stamp his name off.

He waits nervously for Taekwoon, shivering outside the room and his shakes finally come back, making him move around weirdly to keep his nerves in check. He bounces on his toes, puffs out of his cheeks and breathes heavily through his nose.  _ God, fuck. I should message my dad,  _ he thinks while he attempts to calm himself down, shaking his head like a wet dog to try and calm his thoughts.

He pulls out his phone and spends way too long trying to articulate a text and Taekwoon rips a scream from him when he comes out of the room, a hand on his shoulder.

“Hakyeon,” he says softly and all they do is hug as the rest of the detectives file out. Taekwoon holds him, cradling the back of his head and shushing him even though he’s not crying. Hakyeon stops shaking after a while, his breaths coming out clearer and Taekwoon pulls away, cupping Hakyeon’s face as he smiles.

“It’s okay,” he reassures, his smile making his eyes water. “We did it. So, now we’re just going to wait. Come with me and we’ll have fun.”

Hakyeon nods, his eyes burning. His face feels dry and his lips are chapped. He feels lightheaded but heavy at the same time, his head feeling like it’s going to explode. Taekwoon’s hand fits into his hand and he’s not proud of it, but later he ends up falling asleep in the booth of the bar, on Taekwoon’s shoulder as the detective chuckles to himself, sipping his beer. 

Hakyeon still remembers waking up to Taekwoon smiling at him and he likes that memory. He did pass the exam as did Taekwoon, the two of them crying in the middle of the precinct like little boys as they hugged each other, jumping around. Their precinct was ecstatic for them, Taekwoon shaking the captain’s hand for them both because he was in Hakyeon’s arms like a koala.

“New chapters for us,” Taekwoon said to him later that night when they were packing up to go home. “Are you excited? We’ll get our own precincts.”

“We’re not captains yet,” Hakyeon laughed and he still laughs now, into his tea as he flicks through a book he wasn't really reading. New chapters, indeed. They’ve both only continued to grow and it makes him proud, proud of them both to see how far they’ve come.

But their futures weren’t always clear and even now, Hakyeon only has a contract of one year at this precinct. Only the captain knows that, though, as well as Taekwoon. It’s not really anyone else’s business besides his own and his captain’s but it feels like a lie and Hakyeon is dreading when his time is up. It’s a deadline he can't escape from but it’s not personal. He doesn't like working under the circumstances that this will come to an end but if there is a better position for him, he's inclined to take it. He's still a detective, first and foremost, but he feels small with the countdown hanging over him like a thundercloud waiting to burst.

It’s a trial period but it feels fake, like this is a dream. It’s his final test to pass and having Sanghyuk as a partner is a test, too. He's mentoring like a superior officer should but he had no say in it, either. But that's not the reason it feels like this will come back to bite him in the ass somehow. Why did Taekwoon recommend him in the first place? He has so many doubts and the rumors are true to an extent; he likes to be a lone wolf. 

His thoughts attack him and make him feel twenty years younger, unsure and afraid. But Hakyeon is a good detective, he  _ knows _ he is. He's had his doubts and he knows that there's nothing to do but  _ do, _ rather than sit around and worry about the what ifs of his future.

His phone vibrates and it scares him out of his thoughts suddenly. He doesn't question how Hongbin got his number because that’s self explanatory, honestly. He has his ways and he doesn't need to be questions.

  
  


**Lee Hongbin**

_ I specifically remember telling Hyukkie to invite you. Are you coming tonight? _

  
  


**Sgt. Cha Hakyeon**

_ Yes, I'll get ready now. 7PM, yes? _

  
  


**Lee Hongbin**

_ Surprised you remember. It’s a small gathering so you don't have to bring anything. Hyungwon is going home afterwards to see his family, so don't worry about the drinking, either. _

  
  


Hakyeon sighs, standing up and going to his wardrobe. He wears something plain, simple jeans and his boots and a tucked in white shirt. It’s January so a coat doesn't hurt but it’s nothing dressy. Hakyeon checks his hair in the mirror just before his door and frowns. He messes with his hair a little until it sits somewhat nicer and he leaves because if he stays, he’ll fret over everything.

The bar isn't anything special. It’s not far from Hakyeon’s apartment either so the ride is pleasant. Hongbin nods to him when he comes in and they all fit into the round booth, Hakyeon next to Hyungwon. The assistant smiles at him, fiddling with the straw in his drink and Hongbin is next to him, an empty beer bottle in front of him already.

“His tolerance depends on his mood,” someone whispers to Hakyeon and he startles at Sanghyuk’s face so close to his. He sits down next to him, cracking his neck and orders a beer in seconds, a grin on his face. Hyungwon is happy to be in his element, with his friends around him but he glances at his phone occasionally, tilting his head but he smiles at Hakyeon when their eyes meet.

Hongbin shakes his head when Hyungwon asks him for another round, cutting him off a little early but Hyungwon doesn’t protest. They end up heading to another bar but Hyungwon ditches before they step inside. He isn’t one for a big celebration for his birthday so it’s explanatory and Hongbin said he would go home early anyways. Hyungwon bids them farewell, hugging Hongbin with a smile on his face and waves to Hakyeon cutely. 

Hyungwon pats his pockets for a moment before frowning. “Where are my keys?” he asks and Hongbin checks himself quickly but it’s Sanghyuk that throws him his keys because he had them for some reason and Hyungwon doesn’t question it, heading back to find his car.

“For someone who works with cops,” Sanghyuk starts, his hands on his hips, “he is horrifically unobservant.”

“He knows that if someone stole his car, all of three of us would be on duty for the night,” Hongbin answers, shrugging. “He's gotten comfortable. You have to think of a better way of keeping him on his toes.”

Hakyeon shakes his head as he laughs, keeping quiet. This isn't his crowd and he doesn't know Hyungwon that well but their ‘young’ antics make him smile. It’s obvious that the three of them are close to some extent and it’s good to see Hongbin in an environment that isn't ruled by work. He's actually quite funny.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Hongbin warns Sanghyuk before they step inside the bar but Hakyeon shoves them both forward because they’re blocking the enterance. They pile into the bar, at the counter top and Hakyeon orders a round for them all, as well as a jack and coke for himself. Hongbin finds them a little table to sit at, two shots in front of him and a beer. Hongbin has the highest tolerance, it seems, so Sanghyuk keeps to himself with the shots, a bowl of chips in his hands.

Surprisingly, it’s not a weird night. Hongbin gets giggly when he’s tipsy and he ends up crying at something Sanghyuk says, his shoulders shaking. Hakyeon just watches them, laughing to himself and Sanghyuk falls off his chair whilst trying to act nonchalant by leaning back on his chair. He stays there as he laughs to himself, eventually standing up and wobbling but he comes good. The bar is about to close, though, and Hongbin has already already them an uber. Sanghyuk lives near Hakyeon, apparently and Hongbin is just a little ways past them. Since Hakyeon is the most sober and Hongbin lives with Chansik, so he’s set to let him inside and take care of him.

“I’ll get him to his apartment,” Hakyeon tells Hongbin once Sanghyuk is outside the car, yawning and swaying on his feet. Hakyeon nods to him, squeezing Hongbin’s hand when he holds it out for him and Sanghyuk waves to him, smiling like a kid.

“Okay, come on, Han,” he says, slinging Sanghyuk’s arm over his shoulder. His partner laughs at nothing but lets himself be pulled up the landing and into the lobby. He gives Hakyeon his keys because he’ll just drop them.

“I’m not that drunk,” he says, close to Hakyeon’s ear and it makes him flinch away from the younger man because his breath touches his ear. Hakyeon just nods at him, indulging him for the moment and Sanghyuk smiles at him, slumping against the wall when Hakyeon calls for the elevator.

“Cha, my feet hurt. Like, real bad.” He slams his foot on the ground but that makes his knee gives out, stumbling him forward. Hakyeon’s reflexes are quick and he catches him, but not without a grunt and a struggle. Two girls comes out of the elevators and giggle at them, wishing him luck when Hakyeon smiles strained at them.

“Okay, get  _ up _ ,” Hakyeon urges, shoving Sanghyuk into the elevator. “How the fuck are you so  _ big? _ ”

“Growth spurt when I was… seventeen?” Sanghyuk counts on his fingers but drops his hands, grinning at Hakyeon before his own reflection in the elevator door catches his attention. He slams his massive hand on the reflection so Hakyeon wrenches his arm down, shoving it against Sanghyuk’s chest.

“No, bad,” he says, shaking his head at Sanghyuk’s dopey face. “You’re not going to remember this, are you?”

“Not in the slightest,” he smiles, leaning back against the wall but the elevator dings suddenly, making Sanghyuk yelp randomly. He’s through the doors before Hakyeon, turning too quickly and almost falls but he does slide down the wall in a very poor attempt to save himself from face planting into the carpet.

“Han, get up,” Hakyeon sighs, looking down at him. Sanghyuk holds his hands up and Hakyeon takes them, pulling him up as hard as he can which makes Sanghyuk stand up chest to chest with him, staring down at him.

“Hello,” Sanghyuk says before he steps away, slamming his feet down as he runs and Hakyeon throws his keys at him when he finds his door. Sanghyuk manages to catch them against his chest and unlocks his door, swinging himself into his apartment with a call of goodbye.

Hakyeon ends up laughing to himself for a little while, shaking his head. Hongbin leaves him a text, hoping he got home safe and Hakyeon lets him know that Sanghyuk is perfectly fine, safe in his apartment. Hongbin sends him a weird string of emojis back and Hakyeon doesn’t question it. He’s a detective but Hongbin is forever a mystery to him. 

It’s funny when he walks home and his phone vibrates with a text from Sanghyuk.

**Han**

I gotta ffgg gk i have to enat

**Han**

Eat

**Han**

Do ouy?

**Sgt. Cha Hakyeon**

Go to bed, Han.

**Han**

Ok :7

Hakyeon snorts, unlocking his apartment door. He smiles at himself, flicking the kettle on because he doesn’t want to go to sleep just yet. The night is still young.

  
  


***

“So the two thousand dollars was shown to you, correct?”

Hakyeon nods, blinking once, twice at the defense attorney. He barely remembers walking into court, let alone taking the stand but he’s present now and once look from Wonshik sets his mind back on track. “Yes. I was in the position to be bribed, which I declined. I don't believe that silence can be bought.”

Wonshik nods from where he stands, hiding his smile with a poorly timed cough. They have this case in the bag and they both know it. Hakyeon did the dirty work and now Wonshik is taking the case by the reigns and making the defense quake in their seats. “And is the person who bribed you in this courtroom, Sergeant Cha? You may point them out to me.”

Hakyeon points at the defense without a word, the man glaring at him as if he didn't think this would come to this, his lawyer beginning to sweat through his too expensive suit. He's stupid to think it would, Hakyeon isn’t a man easily bought.

“Please let the record show,” Wonshik says, his voice echoing through the silent courtroom, “that Sergeant Cha has identified Mister Kim Yuchan. No further questions, your honour.”

“You're dismissed, Sergeant,” she says to Hakyeon and he leaves the stand, thanking her quietly. He seats himself behind Wonshik, leaning over the wooden barrier. They need to call a recess and Wonshik waits it out, sitting with his legs crossed elegantly but there's nothing much to add to the case. A recess is called and Wonshik speeds out of the courtroom with Hakyeon behind him because nothing gets in the way of Wonshik and his meals. They’ve been in court for three hours and he’s already hungry. Typical.

“Thank you for coming down,” Wonshik says even though Hakyeon is involved in the case. He stuffs a few mini sandwiches in his mouth and Hakyeon is surprised he hasn’t choked yet. “I appreciate it. I know you don't like being in the courtroom all that much.”

“Shikkie, no cop likes being in the courtroom.” Hakyeon rubs his shoulder in reassurance, making the district attorney smile around his sandwich. “But I don't mind. You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me.”

“Yeah but you've got other things going on-”

“Wonshik, he bribed me. I’m intimately involved in this case,” Hakyeon interrupts, deadpanning. He smirks at Wonshik’s scowl.

“Don't say intimate like that,” he mutters, checking his watch. His cheeks flush a little but Hakyeon isn’t sure if it’s because he’s hot or because he’s embarrassed. Probably both. “But even then, you have other cases, right? With that kid.”

“Han.”

Wonshik picks up a toothpick to clean his teeth as he smirks. “That's the one.” But this time, he doesn't bother hiding his smile. 

Hakyeon lifts an eyebrow but he can never stay mad at Wonshik for long periods. It’s the pain and beauty of loving him for too long. “Yes, I have other cases. But this will be over by today, yes?”

Wonshik puffs his cheeks out, nodding twice. Hakyeon bats his face like a cat just to get a face full of air. The room moves around them as they play fight to pass the time but that's what court does to everyone. It’s busy and there can be little to do at times but life goes on. Hakyeon likes jury duty for that reason; it almost feels like being on the inside because he's not a lawyer or a citizen. He hardly feels like a detective when he's in the courtroom, even if he's presenting evidence he found. There’s not a lot that makes him feel like a citizen anymore but he likes to play pretend sometimes, like his life's the same as everyone else’s. Not that he’s not human because he’s a detective… 

It’s good to work with Wonshik again, though. He's always been hardworking and eager to please in his job but he never lets himself be walked over. He's smart, calculated and damn good at his job, even if he is still young. People respect him because they want and he’s very good at pushing people’s buttons. He knows how to get a defense to crack. He once did it in under thirty minutes.

“You're not normally argumentative,” Hakyeon comments suddenly, like this is the first time he's realised. It’s not, but it’s the first time he’s said it to Wonshik’s face. 

Wonshik blinks at him, giving him a confused smile. “Am I not?” he retorts, an obvious taunt. 

He is right but Wonshik stands his ground only when he knows he's right. He doesn't back down easily but he never loses a fight that he picks. Wonshik knows his battles better than anyone else and he always keeps Hakyeon guessing, always makes him  _ proud. _

“We should go back in,” Wonshik suggests, eyes on his way too expensive watch. Pays to be a lawyer, sometimes. “Recess is almost over. Let's win this case so I can go home.”

“You're going to have to tell me one day,” Hakyeon says before they reenter the courtroom. Wonshik furrows his brow at him, confused at the statement. “About Taekwoon.”

“I legally don't have to answer that without my lawyer present,” Wonshik fires back immediately, smiling before his face completely drops. He opens the doors without another word, his face stonelike and practised. He can switch his faces so quickly, it almost scares Hakyeon. He’d be a good actor if he wasn't in the courtroom all day.

They pass their case easily, winning and Wonshik keeps his smile to himself. Hakyeon is dismissed from the stand as the defense is taken for processing and he shakes Wonshik’s hand. It’s not even late afternoon so Hakyeon is still on shift but he can't be bothered with the bulkiness of his uniform. He takes off his jacket as he steps back into the precinct, waving at Hyungwon who smiles at him like a sly cat.

“What did I miss?” he asks and Hyungwon stretches for dramatic effect.

“Well, Chansik broke his finger.” Chanshik waves the banaged digit at Hakyeon when prompted and he grimaces but it’s his left hand so he can still write. “And Hyuk was the one that broke it.”

“Did breaking your nose not teach you anything?” Hakyeon snaps at his partner as he comes out of the break room, halfway through a bite of a very greasy burrito.

“What?” he replies, muffled by the sheer amount of beans in his mouth. He doesn't bother swallowing before speaking again. “His hand was in the way! I had to kick the door in.”

“ _ Had to _ ,” Chansik mutters, shaking his head. “What if I was your mentor? Would you have done that in front of Cha?”

“Maybe,” Sanghyuk shrugs. His burrito is falling apart in his hands and Hakyeon does not want that on his uniform so he lets Sanghyuk pass him. God, he's so damn big that everything he holds looks tiny in his giant bear hands- Why is Hakyeon thinking about his hands?

“So you would break my finger too?” he asks instead, sitting down at his desk. He faces Sanghyuk and grimaces when his partner looks up, his face smeared with whatever is inside the burrito. How has he not finished it yet? 

Hakyeon shakes his head, tucking himself into his desk. “You're disgusting.”

“I know,” Sanghyuk pouts but his mouthful almost comes out so he stops himself quickly, cursing. Hakyeon sits in his chair and smiles, smug. But Chansik randomly curses, shaking his head rapidly and repeating  _ no, no _ , over and over again.

“Chansik?” Hakyeon asks, pushing out from his desk and carefully stepping towards the detective’s desk. “What's wrong, Gong?”

“I fucked the information up,” he says, flicking through the files. “Fuck! I screwed up the case, I didn't give them-”

“Chansik, what's the case?” Hakyeon kneels down next to the detective, reading the case file with him as he explains. It’s a bank robbery but it appears that it isn't a one time heist. Chansik predicted the next robbery but he appears to have miscalculated, figuring out the link but judging it too far.

“There's supposed to be a bust in an hour,” he says, his hands in his hair. “If they don't get them now, the robbers will go underground again and we won't-”

“You sent another precinct?” Hakyeon asks calmly, glancing at Sanghyuk who has finally wiped his face and is already on the phone to order Chansik the right gear. “Chansik, we’ll go together, okay? Let the team know, now. There's still time to fix this.”

Chansik nods, fumbling with the desk phone for a moment before securing it. Sanghyuk talks with confidence and Chansik is out of the precinct in minutes to catch up with the team he sent. Sanghyuk sors back in his chair like a fat cat and smiles.

“Nice mentoring,” he comments, even patting his stomach for emphasis.

“Yeah, you could learn something if you listened to me,” Hakyeon sighs, sitting down again. 

“Okay, teach me something right now. I’m all ears.” Sanghyuk pinches his already big ears and pulls on them, grinning like a fool at Hakyeon.

Hakyeon clicks his tongue, trying to think for a moment but he clicks his fingers when he finally has something in mind. “How do you negotiate? What questions should you ask?”

“Uh, that's obvious.” Sanghyuk rolls his eyes. “You ask what they want and respond accordingly.”

“What do you do if they have hostages?”

“Negotiate for the hostages to be let go, offer yourself if need be.”

“And if they threaten you, what do you do?”

Sanghyuk blinks, frowning at him. “Respond accordingly?”

“So you do know some things,” Hakyeon replies, looking down. “Well done, Han.” Sanghyuk scoffs, whining about how that  _ was hardly mentoring _ while Hakyeon just smiles to himself, slipping his partner’s file under his stack of paperwork after pulling it from his cabinet.

_ Doesn't back down from a challenge. Very loyal to himself and others. Can be stubborn to a fault, sometimes. _

Hakyeon smiles at Taekwoon’s handwriting, finding himself agreeing with the statements as Sanghyuk complaints turn into white noise. It’s not a bad thing, really. Sanghyuk is ambitious at a base level and he’s clever. He knows what to do and how to do it, so much so that he doesn’t let himself slow down and think things through sometimes, but that isn’t an entirely bad trait. 

“Are you listening to me?” Sanghyuk snaps out of nowhere, scowling.

Hakyeon smiles at him, raising his eyebrows in prompting. Sanghyuk sighs, rolling his eyes and drops the subject. He’s smart enough to know that Hakyeon is teasing him and leaves it alone so his mentor can chuckle to himself. When their eyes meet again, Hakyeon looks away, his smile never wavering and Sanghyuk sighs, shaking his head. But his smile is still present, unhidden and charming.

_ Doesn’t back down from a challenge.  _

_ Yes, I can agree with that, detective Jung. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you think so far!!!
> 
> this is my [twitter](https://twitter.com/RAVITHCRACKKIDZ) :) you can leave stuff on my curious cat [here!](https://curiouscat.me/jungztaekwoon)


	5. undercover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hakyeon goes undercover in this chapter! there is a drug deal and mentions of cocaine/weed. there's no act of drug taking AT ALL and nothing is strictly implied!!
> 
> you do find out a little bit more about hyuk's sister also! but nothing is explicitly said, once again.  
> if you don't want to read that, skip from “But you’re an only child, right?” to “Yeah,” Hakyeon says softly, watching him with caution. “Yeah, it’s your turn, Han.”
> 
> happy reading!! thank you all so much for giving this a chance, i really appreciate you ):

Sanghyuk doesn’t go out much. He has friends outside of work and Taekwoon makes it his job to stop by his apartment every once in awhile just to cook him dinner while he naps before leaving before ten o’clock so he can get some sleep, too. They’re busy people but Sanghyuk likes that; he likes to be alone when things are difficult.

But besides Taekwoon and the occasional Hongbin and Sungjae invite, Sanghyuk doesn’t go out much. His family doesn’t live nearby and he doesn’t have much else besides his work friends to call up when he’s craving human interaction.

It’s a Tuesday night when he gets a text on his phone from Taekwoon. He writes it off as a  _ I’m coming over _ message but his phone begins to vibrate relentlessly, indicating a phone call and Sanghyuk picks it up with a groan, almost rolling off his bed in the process. “What?” he snaps before correcting himself and adding  _ hyung _ . He was going to  _ sleep _ . Sure, it’s seven in the evening but whatever.

Taekwoon greets him with,  _ “I know you’re not busy tonight because you have no friends,”  _ and Sanghyuk sighs, not dignifying that with an answer because he can’t exactly deny it. He doesn’t reply for a moment, listening to Taekwoon laugh to himself like a loser for a few seconds.

_ “It’s Wonshikkie’s birthday,”  _ the sergeant adds, a little muffled.  _ “I asked if I could invite you. A few of his friends will be there but we’re just going out for a few drinks. Will you come?” _

Sanghyuk tries, he really tries, but he can’t come up with an excuse. Drinks sound good right now, even if his past interactions with Wonshik haven’t been amazing, but that’s his own fault so he figures it might be nice to try and make up for it.

“Do I have to bring anything?” he asks quietly but Taekwoon hums and says  _ no _ softly, a smile evident in his voice.

_ “I want to see you outside of your apartment for once,” _ Taekwoon adds sweetly. Sanghyuk agrees, hanging up quickly and Taekwoon texts him the address. It’s a bar so he doesn’t dress up too much, just simple jeans, a white shirt and a nice blazer because that is what he thinks Wonshik might approve of. It’s his birthday so Sanghyuk has to not be a total asshole and show up in a hoodie and sweats.

Taekwoon is already at the bar when Sanghyuk arrives but he’s not the only one. Two of Wonshik’s friends, Taemin and Jongin, are present too, as well as Sanghyuk’s beloved partner, Hakyeon who’s smiling into his mocktail as he checks his phone.

He doesn’t know how he didn’t connect the dots between Wonshik’s birthday and Hakyeon also attending. But no matter. Sanghyuk is a professional and he greets Taekwoon with a hug, nodding to his partner and shaking Taemin and Jongin’s hands. Wonshik shows up not too much later, smiling at everyone and insisting on paying for the first round of drinks even though it’s his birthday. Taekwoon and Hakyeon make very verbal complaints about that but Wonshik dismisses them with a shake of his head.

Sanghyuk forgets about his embarrassment for a while but it occurs to him that he should apologise to Hakyeon for  _ Hyungwon’s _ birthday; he got drunk and acted immaturely, forcing Hakyeon to take care of him. What he does remember is still hazy but he knows Hakyeon took him home and all he did was walk into walls and annoy his partner, making him handle him when he shouldn’t have even been tasked with it. He sighs, keeping to himself as Hakyeon talks next to him and it’s easy to tune in and out of the conversation, Hakyeon and Taemin leaving it open for anyone. It seems that Taemin, Wonshik and Jongin get along like a house on fire, their interests mixing all together. They're not too far from Sanghyuk’s age either and Jongin is fun to speak with, purely because he likes the same movies as Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk takes a drink and thinks a little more, watching the rest of the group like a good detective. Always be aware of your surroundings, as Taekwoon taught him.

Speaking of Taekwoon, he keeps staring at Wonshik, leaning his chin on his hand like a daydreaming school boy. He looks like he’s in love and Hakyeon notices too, not so subtly snorting into his drink. Taemin and Jongin talk with Wonshik about their jobs, since Jongin is a lawyer as well and it makes them all smile. Jongin works with Taekwoon but they barely speak because Wonshik lowers his hand and Sanghyuk just  _ knows _ it’s on Taekwoon’s leg from the way the sergeant smiles to himself.

It’s a nice night and Taemin leaves for a while out of nowhere, only to come back with a muffin with a candle in it for Wonshik who laughs so hard he doesn’t even blow out the candle but Taekwoon does it for him. Sanghyuk doesn’t drink much but Taemin is the first to go home with Jongin, pretty early in the night while Wonshik is busy laughing at Taekwoon whining for the last piece of his muffin.

Hakyeon is quiet but his shoulder presses against Sanghyuk’s, content for the moment. They’re close because the booth is only small, fit for four people but Hakyeon isn’t in the corner like he was earlier. He pulls out his phone and Sanghyuk doesn’t mean to spy but he is curious; what is his partner interested in? They don’t talk much about their interests so Sanghyuk really isn’t sure what Hakyeon does for fun but he seems like he reads. Maybe that’s just Sanghyuk labelling him as  _ old _ , though.

All Hakyeon does is scroll through Instagram, a bunch of ASMR videos and candle making videos in his feed as well as people Sanghyuk assumes are his friends. He pauses on a few and Sanghyuk realises that the people are making  _ soap _ in the videos and he leans over, intrigued. He’s like a child; bright coloured things and he’s hooked like a moth to a flame.

Hakyeon leans away from him slowly, his face blank when he looks at Sanghyuk. He holds his phone to his chest protectively before raising his eyebrows in question. “Can I help you?”

“They're making soap and that's more interesting than watching Taekwoon-hyung telepathically tell DA Kim that he wants to fuck him,” Sanghyuk says bluntly, his eyes wide. That convinces Hakyeon because he laughs suddenly and shows Sanghyuk what he's looking at. 

“Do you make soap or something?” he asks but Hakyeon shakes his head, laughing softly. It’s nice. This is relaxed, friendly.

“No, it’s a lot of work and I think it’s too expensive for a hobby.” Hakyeon flicks through a few videos before he finds a candle making one and taps the screen to show Sanghyuk but he ends up liking it. “This is what I make. I like candles.”

It still seems like a lot of work but not nearly as much as soap. It looks like fun, actually, but God knows that Sanghyuk would never have the patience for it. It is easy to be distracted by the videos, though. Sanghyuk has caught Hyungwon too many times on his phone watching makeup tutorials purely because it’s interesting to see what people can create. This isn’t much different.

They look through the videos together, only looking up when Taekwoon laughs out loud, almost in a cackle and slams a hand over his mouth, trying to keep himself at bay. Wonshik is grinning like a fool at him, pulling his hand away from his mouth but Taekwoon is embarrassed, his cheeks red hot and he shakes his head, trying to hide his face in his arms as best as he can.

“They’re sweet,” Hakyeon says quietly, his eyes back on his phone. “Wonshik doesn’t get out much, aside from work.” They talk like Wonshik and Taekwoon aren't there but it’s not like they’ll hear them. They're too caught up in each other.

“Neither does hyung,” Sanghyuk adds, unable to hide his pride at the way Taekwoon drops his guard around Wonshik and lets himself be cooed over. It’s horrifically domestic, honestly, but that’s the description that fits Taekwoon best. He belongs in the picture perfect life and it almost feels like a cheesy sitcom that they’re watching.

Hakyeon smiles at them but when he turns back to their conversation, Sanghyuk meets his eyes and blurts, “I’m sorry for Hyungwon-hyung’s birthday.”

Hakyeon blinks at him, his face turning into a frown in milliseconds. “For what?” His voice is riddled with confusion and he keeps his phone close to his chest again, like Sanghyuk will snatch it out of his hands if he’s not careful.

“For making you take care of me.” Sanghyuk crosses his legs under the table and sighs. “It was embarrassing and I’m sorry you had to see it. And that you had to walk me to my door. I shouldn't have been that irresponsible.”

“You remember it?” Hakyeon’s voice is gentle as he presses, just like it was when Chansik was freaking out. Is this the mentoring he’s heard so much about? God, and it’s over Sanghyuk making a fool out of himself while being drunk at another person’s birthday party. Well, Hyungwon did go home early but that’s not the point.

“Bits and pieces,” he admits, tilting his head. Those words feel like deja vu. Did he say them to Hakyeon? “I was sobering up as we went, I guess. But I’m still sorry.”

Hakyeon’s face breaks into a smile, his eyes turning into crescents. “It’s okay, Han. I didn’t mind all too much. I’m glad you got home safe, though.”

Sanghyuk bites his cheek, nodding along. He doesn’t say anything more but there’s no need to. Hakyeon goes back to his phone and shows Sanghyuk some more videos, back to normal again. The peace shared between them all is calming, even if Taekwoon is almost crying with laughter at whatever Wonshik is saying to him. 

But the night comes to a close for Wonshik soon enough. He has court in the morning and Taekwoon leaves with him, his arm through his. Hakyeon nods to them as they leave, making it feel like a dismissal and Sanghyuk snorts at him, telling him so and Hakyeon chuckles back, shaking his head.

“Why do you make candles?” he ends up asking moments later, pushing his beer away. He doesn’t want it anymore.

Hakyeon slowly locks his phone and lays it flat on the table. He pauses for a moment before replying. “I like it. It’s nice and they make good gifts for people. It’s fun.” He turns to Sanghyuk, sliding further into the booth and leaning back with a smile. “Let’s play a game. I tell you something and you tell me something. You can pass if you don’t want to answer. You can't go twice in a row.”

Sanghyuk shrugs, telling Hakyeon to fire away but the first question he blurts out is, “How old are you?” 

He stares at his partner before laughing at him. “You don’t know? I’m twenty-eight.”

Hakyeon doesn’t comment on that, just simply nodding like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. Before Sanghyuk can even ask, he says, “I’m thirty-three. I’ll be thirty-four in a few months.”

“I’ll be twenty-nine in a few months, too.” So their birthdays might be close…

“Happy birthday,” Hakyeon says awkwardly before making a weird face at himself. They reduce each other to giggles for a few minutes at that comment, leaning back in the booth with smiles on their faces. It’s awkward but somehow enjoyable. It’s a new atmosphere, but not unwelcome.

“When’s your birthday?” Hakyeon asks, his voice quiet, soft.

Sanghyuk opens his mouth to reply before catch on and shaking his head. “I haven’t asked a question yet.” His teasing makes Hakyeon purse his lips, his eyes half lidded but he plasters on a smile, gesturing for Sanghyuk to go on. But he has to think for a moment, and he does, licking his lips. “When did you start riding your motorcycle?”

Hakyeon smiles longingly to himself and he recounts stories from when he was younger, when he was a teenager and he used to ride dirt bikes with his family when they went away to his cousin’s private property. Hakyeon looks so happy to be speaking about it, his gestures getting more and more enthusiastic. He slams the table at one point, telling Sanghyuk that he got his first motorcycle when he was seventeen.

“I crashed in on the fifth day of having it,” he laughs but he grimaces afterwards. “I broke my leg and my wrist but I still wasn’t afraid to ride, even though my mother begged me not to ride again. I love motorcycles. God, it’s so fun to be out at night with the wind running through your hair. It’s so easy to forget everything.”

Sanghyuk nods along, prompting Hakyeon forwards and his partner looks away, a soft smile on his lips. He looks content, Sanghyuk realises and the ease from the anecdotes that Hakyeon tells create an atmosphere of safety, somehow, even though they’re giggling like teenagers at photos of Hakyeon in the hospital with his siblings. 

“I’m the youngest,” Hakyeon says, unprompted so Sanghyuk tells him that he is, too. Equal exchange.

“But you’re an only child, right?”

Sanghyuk’s world stops in that moment and his eyes unfocus. He blinks rapidly, willing his brain to process his thoughts and articulate a reply. He doesn’t remember it being this easy for him to cry. He shakes his head before sputtering out, “Uh, I… Yes.”

Hakyeon looks at him with slight concern, his eyes wide at the strange response. He’s a detective, of course he’d notice the change in atmosphere and Sanghyuk swallows. “Han, are you-”

“Pass,” Sanghyuk blurts out, his eyes fixed on the half full beer bottle in front of him. It’s warm. He didn’t want it anymore, he still doesn’t want it and it isn’t helping him focus. He picks at the label, his eyes unblinking as he tries to will himself to smile again, glancing at Hakyeon. “Is it my turn?” he asks, his cheek twitching awkwardly. He can’t quite bring himself to smile now. That hasn’t happened in a long time.

“Yeah,” Hakyeon says softly, watching him with caution. “Yeah, it’s your turn, Han.”

_ Han. _ Because they’re just work colleagues. There’s no reason for Hakyeon to get personal with him. He doesn’t have to tell him anything he doesn’t want to and it’s not as if Hakyeon can’t go looking for the information if he really wants to. Taekwoon might tell him. Does Sanghyuk trust him enough not to? It’s been a long time since Sanghyuk has trusted someone like he trusts Taekwoon.

He shakes his head before sniffing loudly, drawing himself in. His habit of making himself look small comes in handy. “Actually, I’m gonna head home,” he says quietly, slipping out of the booth without another word.

“Wait, Han, I didn’t-” Hakyeon protests, trying to stand up from the booth too but Sanghyuk waves him off, shrugging on his jacket.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he says, checking his phone for the time, so he’ll have an excuse to look anywhere but Hakyeon’s pleading eyes. “I’m just tired. It’s been fun, so let’s do this question thing again another time. Goodnight, Cha.”

Hakyeon’s lips part and he stands up but Sanghyuk turns before his partner can touch him. He wants to be alone and Hakyeon needs to get that hint. He manages a horrifically fake smile before he escapes the bar, finally able to breathe the night air. He feels his chest loosen but it tightens again as he calls for a taxi. He hates himself for crying in the backseat because the driver is definitely undeserving of it but he smiles worriedly at him when he pays him and stumbles out without another word.

The worst part of it all is that it’s not even Hakyeon’s fault. Sanghyuk just never learnt to desensitise himself and it never gets easier. He lives in the aftermath of a mystery and it haunts him, years after it even occurred. He fumbles with his phone and texts his mother for the first time in a few weeks, asking her if it’s okay to come home for the weekend because he really needs to see her. He’s surprised that she actually answers since it’s late and he smiles at her simple thumbs up and heart emoji, locking his phone and turning it off.

He has no doubts that Taekwoon will find out about his sudden leaving and he dreads having to talk to him about this but there’s nothing he can do. He closes his eyes, just to get them to stop stinging before sighing, effectively calming himself down for the moment. He bites his lip for a second, still tasting beer and he opts for brushing his teeth and going to bed. If he stays up, he’ll overthink and he’ll probably end up crying and he really doesn’t want to exhaust himself even more than he already is. He has to work tomorrow and that’s what he thinks of to focus himself.

Sanghyuk misses the unknown number blowing up his voicemail but he finds it in the morning, adding Hakyeon’s number to his phone and texting him back because  _ yes, I would like coffee this morning. Thanks. _

Hakyeon’s reply is instant.

_ I’ll make sure they give me the tiny marshmallows. _

Sanghyuk chuckles to himself, not having the heart to tell Hakyeon that he doesn’t like marshmallows.

  
  


***

“Fuck.”

Hakyeon’s curse comes out quiet but the room is completely silent. Everyone’s eyes are pinned to him and he looks around, sheepishly reassuring everyone that he’s fine, it’s just paperwork. Chansik is busy changing the tape on his finger brace and Sanghyuk is a Hyungwon’s desk, talking to him about God knows what. 

Other detectives mill around the precinct and Hyungwon has the captain sign something when she leaves her office for a meeting elsewhere. Hakyeon stares at his paperwork some more, desperately hoping that it will connect itself for him but of course, it doesn’t and he sighs, puffing out his cheeks. 

“Look alive, some of us are excited to work here.”

Hayeon startles at Hongbin’s voice, almost standing up to throw a punch but the detective looks at him as he smiles, smug in amusement, sitting down at his desk. He looks over Hakyeon’s paperwork for a moment before licking the side of his mouth, pushing his glasses up.

He hums, leaning back. “Seems difficult. You getting anywhere with it?”

“No,” Hakyeon admits bitterly. “It’s not making much sense. I can’t figure out the motive.”

“Well, it’s arson. Sometimes there’s not much of a motive besides  _ burning _ .”

“Why are you here?” Hakyeon retorts, glaring at him. “Shouldn’t you be speaking to Han?”

Hongbin’s eyebrows raise in an instant, his smirk back on his lips. “Is it ‘Han’? No Hyukkie? I thought you guys were past the weird sexual tension stage.”

“We’re partners, not friends,” Hakyeon answers, looking back at his file. He pointedly ignores Hongbin’s latter statement. “What do you want, Lee?”

Hongbin smacks his heart, faking a wound so Hakyeon rolls his eyes, ignoring him. The detective looks at him again, feigning seriousness but he cracks and smiles, his dimples showing and Hakyeon shakes his head. “What do you  _ want _ , Hongbin?” he tries again and the detective’s grin stretches so wide that it scares Hakyeon how big his mouth actually is. And how sharp his damn teeth are.

“I need your help. I have another case, so drop the one you have now. Give it to Hyukkie or, uh… Gongchan. He doesn’t have to do much finger work.”

Chansik glares at him but Hongbin winks at him, making the detective roll his eyes fondly. He leans forward to push out and his chair and takes the case file from Hongbin when he hands it over, ignoring Hakyeon’s protests.

“It better be a good fucking case,” Hakyeon snaps and Hongbin nods like a wet dog, his eyes wide.

“Oh, it is. I have it because I was tracking someone who ended up dead. So, the case is yours now.”

“Good for you.” Hakyeon’s voice is a deadpan but the commotion between them and Chansik brings Sanghyuk’s attention over and he appears next to Hongbin, squatting down as if they’re having a secret conversation that no one else is allowed to hear. His eyes are wide and innocent and Hakyeon raises a brow at him in suspicion.

Sanghyuk scans the file and Hakyeon is impressed that he can actually read upside down. He marvels at the case, his eyes moving a mile a minute before looking at Hongbin like an excited puppy. “Who gets to go in?”

Hongbin smiles at him. “I was thinking Cha. No offense, Hyukkie, but he looks more like a nerd than you.”

Hakyeon scowls at them, snatching the file from him but his eyes widen at the case. He’ll have to go undercover for a drug bust since one of the biggest drug lords of the city has been working hard and Hongbin was tracking his suppliers for a bigger case. The main supplier has been killed and Hongbin has all his information since someone tipped him off.

“They transport the drugs using college kids,” Hongbin says, pointing to the information. “Basically, a kid rings this number and asks for ‘the regular order for Kang Jiahn.’ It’s a fake name but they’ll tell you to go to a mailbox and find the drugs inside. I’m going to enroll you in a bunch of classes but they look for the nerdy type, the type that wants to look cool. It’s pretty much get in and get out. I just need you to place a bug for me and that's it.” 

“That's it?” Hakyeon frowns. “What else are you looking for?”

“This dealer is one of the smaller ones,” Hongbin says. Sanghyuk stands up and cracks his back, taking the file from Hakyeon. “I need the bug so I can bust him and then hopefully find the boss.”

Hakyeon nods without any further question and signs off the file as the leading detective on the file. Hongbin grins at him and disappears in seconds, waving the file over his shoulder in thanks.

Hakyeon takes the burner phone that Sanghyuk finds from the evidence lock up and they stand in the break room to make the call to the dealer so Hongbin doesn’t have to. Hakyeon is already dressed from the delivery and his dyed hair definitely helps him to look younger. He’s wearing Hongbin’s glasses, ignoring the fact that the prescription is so strong that it’s giving him a headache. Simple jeans that he wears every day and a button up and sweater to complete the look, making him look like a nerdy little college kid.

“You sure you're good to do this?” Sanghyuk asks before he dials the call, the phone looking tiny in his huge hands. 

“I’ve been undercover before,” Hakyeon answers but that's not what he meant. He purses his lips before he says, “Yes, I’m sure. Lee said it was a small bust, so don't stress. I’m not even doing the bust, I just have to place the bug.”

Sanghyuk looks away for a moment before nodding. He dials the call and it connects almost immediately, before Hakyeon can ask why Sanghyuk seems worried about the case.

He repeats what Hongbin told him to, playing up his voice to make himself sound nervous and he hastily scribbles down the address he's told. Sanghyuk hangs up halfway through Hakyeon trying to thank the receiver and places the phone down without a word. 

His face is stoic, so Hakyeon presses. “You're acting like I’ve never done this before,” he deadpans, hands on his hips. “What is it, Han? I’ve been a detective for almost a decade now.”

“No, it’s-” The younger man sighs, frustrated with himself and a furrow comes to his brow, making him scowl. “I do this all the time. I used to do a lot with Taekwoon-hyung, too. It just… I don't know, it freaks me out sometimes, going undercover.”

Hakyeon did not anticipate Sanghyuk to be truthful with him. He blinks at him in shock and the overwhelming urge to hug him springs to mind but he squashes it down. “Han, I’m not going to die. Besides, Lee wants me to wear a wire, anyway. Aren't you going to be on the other end of that?”

Sanghyuk glances down, avoiding his eyes. He knows Hakyeon is right. “Yeah. I guess you're right. Just got nervous, but it doesn't matter.”

Hakyeon stops him before he can leave the break room, his arm blocking Sanghyuk’s chest. “Han, I know what you mean,” he says, looking him in the eye. His partner reluctantly holds his gaze, uncomfortable but not aggressive and it strikes Hakyeon just how  _ young _ he looks in this moment. “You're worried it’s going to go wrong? That's why I have you and Lee. You're my knights in shining armour.”

Sanghyuk snorts, shrugging off Hakyeon’s hand on his shoulder. He didn’t realise it moved there. “Yeah, you're right. I have to trust you.”

“I'll prove it,” Hakyeon smiles, holding up his fist. “If I make a fool out of myself, then you can come and save my ass, okay?”

Sanghyuk bumps his fist, a dopey smile on his face. “Okay. I'll kick your ass.”

“That's not the agreement!” Hakyeon yells but Sanghyuk is already walking away, throwing a peace sign over his shoulder and he can just  _ feel _ the cocky smirk even though his back is turned. 

Hakyeon rigs himself up with the equipment he needs, tucking his wire into his shirt. He doubts he’ll be searched since Hongbin already threw his records into the school system and made fake profiles for him but it doesn’t hurt to hide the wire anyways. He's a kid at college, away from home and looking for extra money. The perfect target for a drug dealer.

He takes off Hongbin’s glasses with a scowl, rubbing his eyes. Chansik seems to understand what's wrong because he fishes out a pair of wire frames with fake lenses, handing them to Hakyeon. He doesn’t ask why Chansik has them on hand because he’s always full of surprises anyway.

“The look is complete,” Sanghyuk smiles, handing him the earpiece that acts as a small earphone looking thing. Hakyeon has seen some of the kids nowadays wearing them but he never really understood what they are. “Act like you're nervous. Play it up a little bit.”

What happened to Sanghyuk freaking out before? “Who’s confident now?” Hakyeon teases, walking out of the precinct with him to meet Hongbin downstairs. “I thought I was going to die judging by your worry a few minutes ago.”

“I’m trying to distract myself from that,” the younger man admits, his eyes elsewhere. He really seems to hate admitting his feelings. But his smile is reassuring, a wide grin stretched across his features and Hakyeon feels his own smirk pull at his mouth. He can be confident for Sanghyuk’s sake.

“Okay,” Hongbin says when they find him, piling into the van he ordered. Sanghyuk throws on his gear even though they're not making a bust tonight. It doesn't hurt to be safe, especially if Hakyeon needs help. Speaking of, Hakyeon tucks his gun into the back of his pants, grateful at his sweater lies flat on top of it, along with his jacket.

“Your name is Lim Gwangjin. You're an education major and they're probably going to use that against you to blackmail you. Lie your ass off and  _ shake _ .” Hongbin sits back and lets Hakyeon repeat it back to him, confirming the information.

The ear piece switches on, piercing Hakyeon’s ear with a sharp sound but it settles to a slow buzz quickly, Hongbin’s voice feeding through when he speaks into the microphone.

“Good,” he confirms when Hakyeon nods. “The meetup is in twenty minutes. You have your gun if you need it and we’ll come running if things get heavy. Understood? We’re with you the whole way.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Hakyeon smiles, shaking their hands and hopping out of the van silently. He pulls his hair over his ears, hiding the earpiece effectively. He walks up to the building, an old warehouse, rust on the metal of the doors and walls and he takes a breath, checking over his shoulders in case there are cameras that might catch him out of character. He’s clueless and he needs to act that way.

He knocks awkwardly, pushing his glasses up and jumps out of his skin when the roller door opens suddenly, darkness inside the warehouse.

_ “Okay, you’re alright,”  _ Hongbin says quietly in his ear, making him shiver. Hakyeon looks around nervously, his eyes wide for effect. It’s pitch black but the lights switch on suddenly, making him jump for real. Four men stand there, one of them young and shaking in their clothes. A girl is there too, avoiding Hakyeon’s eyes out of fear.

“Lim Gwangjin?” one of the older men asks, a scar in his lip and Hakyeon studies him, his stance relaxed and open.

_ “Byun Wooseok,”  _ Hongbin supplies in his ear.  _ “He’s the leader of this group. The other three are his friends, suppliers, too.”  _ Hakyeon shudders and it makes Wooseok sneer.

“Y-Yeah, that’s me,” Hakyeon answers, stepping forward. The other two join him and Hakyeon can tell that they don’t want to be anywhere near the other men. They seem close, the boy latching onto the girl’s arm as she puts on a brave face.

“So,” Wooseok says, dragging out a milk crate and sitting on it. It makes an awful sound on the gritty concrete and Hakyeon’s cheek twitches in repulse. Hongbin is completely silent in his ear, waiting for all of it to unfold before he starts whispering in Hakyeon’s ear again. Sanghyuk makes no sound to indicate anything and Hakyeon wonders if he's really okay.

“You rang the number,” Wooseok continues, checking his watch nonchalauntly. “Think of tonight as a trial period, okay? We’re going to send you three out to a party to deliver some things. That’s all.” He smiles but neither the girl or Hakyeon smile back. Wooseok doesn’t exactly sound reassuring, or comforting.

“Don’t tell anyone what you’re doing,” he says, glancing at the other men. Hakyeon catches that, squinting but when he’s looked at, he pushes up his glasses, avoiding their eyes.  _ Don't hold eye contact. _

“Don’t be nervous,” Wooseok smiles but it’s by no means reassuring. “It’s nothing major. You do this, you get paid. Hyerin, you can support your mother more easily. Isn’t that good, for both you and Minhyuk?”

_ Oh, you bastard, _ Hakyeon curses, glances at Hyerin who’s pale, her cheeks flushed. She’s embarrassed but desperate and Hongbin sighs, not commenting. Hakyeon doesn't really care what he has to say right now.

“And you want to be a teacher, don't you, Gwangjin?” Wooseok addresses Hakyeon this time, his smile anything but innocent. He resembles a snake somehow but Hakyeon isn’t comforted by that. “You don't want this on your record, do you?”

“It’s just for the money,” Hakyeon replies, his voice cracking half way through the sentence. “That's it, right?”

“Sure.” Wooseok neither denies nor agrees, shrugging. “Whatever you think it is, kid. But you will do this or you're not getting paid. And then, we’re all out of a job.”

_ “He's guilting you,”  _ Hongbin says, helpful.  _ “Watch out for the kids next to you. They don't know the extent of what they're getting into.” _

Wooseok looks over his shoulder at his group, whispering to them. Hakyeon glances at Hyerin, finding her staring right at him and he sighs. She can't be older than eighteen and her brother looks even younger. He really hopes this isn't common for kids these days but judging by the spike in juvenile crime, he's not surprised. A man can dream of a happy life but that doesn't mean he’ll get it.

“This is the address,” Wooseok says suddenly, handing the paper to Hakyeon and the fumble is real because it catches Hakyeon completely off guard. “Simple drop off. A house call, if you will. There's going to be some fun there so don't get carried away. Understood?”

Hakyeon studies the address and realises why he recognises it. It’s near Sanghyuk’s apartment building but he has no way to tell them that right now. Hyerin starts to fidget so Hakyeon looks up at Wooseok, blinking at him because he is a lot closer and a lot taller than Hakyeon initially thought.

“I… What happens after tonight?” he asks, wetting his lips. 

Wooseok smirks at him, his teeth sharp. “Then you're in. Leaving isn't easy, so you better have thought this through, Gwangjin.”

Hakyeon flinches, stumbling away from Wooseok when he makes to spit in his face. Hyerin’s face hardens and she pulls Minhyuk with her, joining Hakyeon in leaving. Neither of them speak and Hakyeon tries to give them space but Minhyuk starts to cry silently, rubbing his eyes profusely.

“It’s alright,” Hakyeon tries, offering Minhyuk a packet of tissues. “Hey, kid, do you want to talk? We don't have to if you don't want to.”

“We’re fine,” Hyerin snaps back, pulling her brother closer to her but Minhyuk fights back, shaking his head. He shoves his sister and opens his mouth to start yelling but Hakyeon hushs him quickly, holding his hands out.

“There might be people watching us,” he says quickly, glancing around. 

Hongbin clears his throat and Hakyeon can hear Sanghyuk talking on the phone.  _ “I’m tracking you. I’m going to come pick them up and have Gongchan pick them up. Get them away from the site.” _

Hyerin glares at him but Minhyuk doesn’t yell, his eyes wide. His bottom lip quivers but he holds his tears back as best as he can, blowing his nose as quietly as he can. They walk in silence again, Hakyeon checking the address on the paper for something to do while Hongbin whispering in Hakyeon’s ear until he finds the van again, stopping Hyerin and Minhyuk with his hands raised, gesturing to the van.

“Don't be scared,” Hakyeon asks when Hyerin raises her fist in an attempt to punch him. “My name is Cha Hakyeon. I’m a detective. This is an undercover investigation and I need you both to go with my partners, okay? They can keep you safe.”

Hyerin looks livid, her here wide and unblinking. She’s red in the face but Minhyuk visibly calms down, even though he still protests. “But-” He yelps when Sanghyuk opens the back of the truck, a goofy, welcoming grin on his face. “But… We were going-”

Hyerin glares at him, effectively shutting him up but Hakyeon knows what he's worried about. “You've technically done nothing legal,” he tells him, keeping his hands out and open so Minhyuk doesn’t fear him. “I stopped you  _ before _ you could do anything incriminating. But you both are witnesses, now. And I need you to go with captain Lee and detective Han, okay?”

Hyerin hesitates but Minhyuk takes Sanghyuk’s hand immediately, throwing himself into the warm van. Hyerin asks for their badges first before she gets in, satisfied with her own detective work when Hongbin grunts and fishes out his badge.

“This is good,” Hongbin says to Hakyeon as he hands them the address. “The last drop off was around here, too, but Wooseok didn't run it. This seems to be his first big operation.” He clears his throat and gets into the laptop, typing in the address. The digital case file is massive and Hongbin curses when he puts in the wrong address but he gets it eventually, smiling wide. “Okay, all I need is for you to go there and leave the bug. The drugs you need to pick up are in the mailbox on the street before you turn. Judging by this, someone will personally meet you so you don't fuck it up and to make sure you don't steal the drugs.”

“I'll improvise,” Hakyeon ssys, slamming the van doors shut without another word. Hyerin tries to protest and Sanghyuk says,  _ No, you old- _ before the metal shuts him up and Hakyeon leaves, switching on his ear piece again.

“It doesn't matter, so long as I get the bug onto someone,” Hakyeon says once he starts walking and he can hear Sanghyuk moving around, grumbling to himself. Trust him to be upset but Hakyeon knows what he’s doing. He’s not stupid.

_ “You need to get the bug as well as a GPS tracker,”  _ Sanghyuk says, worry evident in his voice. 

“No, not the GSP tracker,” Hakyeon replies, glancing up at the city skyline. “We have the address and it’s an apartment building. That's a cover, meaning someone actually lives there. We can bug the room once they leave because it’s obviously a common drop spot.”

_ “Cha, you're being stupid!” _ There's the sound of shuffling again and Minhyuk’s voice says  _ thank you, hyungs _ , to them before the van doors open and Hakyeon is relieved to hear Chansik’s laugh. No more civilians.  _ “Think this through. You have follow the case-” _

“Sorry, I remember this being Lee’s case, no?” He rolls his eyes, spotting the mailbox up ahead. If Sanghyuk wants to be petty, then Hakyeon can too. “So what's the verdict? What do you want me to do? Because I doubt I’ll get close enough to put a GPS tracker on someone important enough.”

There's silence for a moment and Hakyeon catches up to the mailbox when Hongbin says,  _ “I see the point. Plant the bug in the cork, actually. The drugs come in vials for precise grammage. Drug dealers are really smart these days.” _

“I do like that, actually,” he admits pulling out the pouch. He spies inside and there's well over a pound of drugs, specifically cocaine and weed, which immediately makes his stomach churn. “But I have to hand this over?” He pulls out his house keys and makes a small hole in the cork, shoving the bug into it. The cork will be thrown away but it will stay in the apartment for a while considering the dropoff point seems to be a common apartment. Hakyeon is relying on the fact that he assumes drug dealers don't empty their trash a lot.

_ “Unfortunately, yes,” _ Hongbin sighs.  _ “If you don't, I can't confirm what they’ll do. They can't track you but if these don't get delivered, then I don't know what will happen to this case.” _

Hakyeon sighs too, wrestling with his own morals and the physical bag of drugs in his hand. Hongbin is right, in the end, but Hakyeon doesn't have to like it. But it’s not his call and he needs to remember that, even if it aggravates him.

“Han,” he says as he turns, pausing at the mailbox. The bag feels so much heavier in his hand and he wills his heart to stop beating so fast. Is this what Sanghyuk was afraid of? He’s not going to choke with the drugs but he is starting to get nervous. This isn’t his case so he can’t screw it up for Hongbin but his shoulders are a little tighter just from the weight of his responsibilities. God, this is dramatic.

His partner doesn't respond for a moment before he answers with a quiet,  _ “Yes, Cha?” _

Hakyeon finds himself smiling at his voice, exhaling slowly. “Still got my back?”

Sanghyuk clicks his tongue before he sighs exasperatedly.  _ “Yes, copy that. Don't be stupid.” _

“Is that any way to talk to your superior?” he smirks as he clutches the pouch to his chest, zipping it in his jacket. He's really playing up the nervous character Hongbin put on him but it fits well. He hesitates when he gets to the apartment building, double checking the address for the effect even though Hongbin tells him he's exactly where he needs to be.

He opens the apartment letter box he was supposed to but a man who legally shouldn't be  _ six fucking five _ taps him on the shoulder and the yelp he lets out is real because the man is  _ young  _ with a baby face. Hakyeon really hates getting older. Everyone is a kid to him nowadays.

“For Kang?” he asks, his voice higher pitched than Hakyeon expects.

Hakyeon swallows audibly, ignoring Hongbin’s grunt of disgust. “Uh, yes, but I- I was told to put it in the letter… box…” He glances over his shoulder, holding the pouch possessively. He’s not completely sure about handing it over.

“It’s fine, you can give them to me.” He's very careful with the way he handles the pouch so the vials don't clink together and Hakyeon’s eye twitches at the man, stepping minutely back in fear.

_ “Give it to him,” _ Hongbin whispers when Hakyeon hesitates a moment too long. He does eventually after wrestling with himself, thrusting the bag forward, shaking his head when the man tries to hand him money.

“I don't want it, just… Please leave me alone,” he breathes, clutching his arms and leaving the lobby quickly, shaking his head when the man calls out for him. He glances over his shoulder at the man and he’s already on the phone so Hakyeon runs. The lights start to blend together as he runs and he sprints for a long time until Hongbin tells him to stop, slipping down a backend road once he slows down enough. He turns left when he's told and he finds the van, swinging the back downs open in a huff.

Sanghyuk and Hongbin stares at him but he sits down and pants while Hongbin switches on the bug without a word and zones out to listen and record the information that comes through. Sanghyuk’s hand lands on Hakyeon’s leg and he pats it, smiling when his partner avoids his eyes nervously. His cheeks have cute dusting of pink and Hakyeon reaches over to pat his face, making the younger detective scowl at him but he doesn’t move his hand from Hakyeon’s leg.

“You were worried,” he says, drawing out his words so he can breathe. He pats his hand, looking at that instead of Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk scoffs, looking down at their hands, too. “I wasn't.”

“You so were.”

“No, I  _ wasn’t.  _ I was worried you’d screw this up.”

“Yeah. Right.” He closes his eyes, not giving Sanghyuk the satisfaction of being right and pats his hand again. “Still got my back?” 

He peaks open one eye to see Sanghyuk nodding once, twice before he pulls his hand away, drumming his fingers along his knee.

“Next time, you can be the nerd with glasses,” Hakyeon says, pulling them off and handing them to Sanghyuk. His partner scoffs but chuckles, shaking his head at him again. Hakyeon likes it when he smiles and Hongbin glances at them, keeping his comments to himself but his smirk says a thousand words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i remade my twitter so come [follow me!](https://twitter.com/RAVITHCRACKKIDZ)


	6. old cases

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are mentions of a staged hit and run death but nothing in detail. just a warning ! it's not investigated in the slightest so no stress

It gets slightly competitive. But only because Hakyeon doesn't know the definition of giving in and Sanghyuk is a sucker for a good bet.

When another arrest turns into two, into three, Sanghyuk starts to play things off casually. Hakyeon can brag all he wants for a rise out of him but he's not going to get one. It leads to a lot of butting heads and borderline vicious arguments but they both get over their stubbornness in a few hours or less. Their relationship has to remain professional and they both intend to keep it that way, even if they are competitive.

Their arguments always end stupidly, with one of them helping the other subconsciously and Hakyeon has gotten into a habit of asking Sanghyuk if he  _ still has his back _ and Sanghyuk teases him for it but it’s nice to have the reliance on each other. It’s coming into March, and March marks almost five months since Hakyeon joined their precinct.

It feels like it’s been a lot longer but Sanghyuk chalks that up to the fact that Hakyeon just feels like he's always been here. He feels familiar and his personality definitely makes him feel like a normal overseeing officer, oozing with authority and wisdom but Sanghyuk will never tell him that. His ego is already spiked purely from the fact that Sanghyuk flushes when he gets too close.

“So, it’s nice?” Taekwoon asks, opposite Sanghyuk in a bar because they seem to fit the criteria for stereotypical policemen after a day of hard work. Taekwoon wanted to see him more outside of work and his own apartment so Sanghyuk fulfilled his promise of leaving the house more than five times a week only for work.

But neither of them are drinking since they're waiting for Wonshik to finish up and visit them to pick Taekwoon up. “Why would I drive when he can just come get me?” the older detective said to Sanghyuk and he laughed at that because that's exactly Hongbin’s logic.

“It’s fine,” Sanghyuk answers, eyes on the artwork on the wall. It’s a dog. Or maybe it’s just a weird blob thing in the general shape of a dog. “I don't have much to comment on. He's a good partner, I guess. But I don't know much about having a full time partner, so.”

“Well, is he helpful? Or are you just having this bet to prove a point?”

Sanghyuk really doesn't know anymore. The original bet  _ was _ for the purpose of making a point. He didn't want to be babysat and wants to prove he knows what he's doing. He's not stupid, to sum it up, and he refuses to let anyone think that. Hakyeon wasn't going to be used against him as a way to make him seem younger or inexperienced. But now, he's not really sure. Is the purpose of the bet because it’s fun to challenge Hakyeon and have him challenge him back? Hakyeon feels like a mentor but at the same time, he's equal. Sanghyuk can do what he pleases, even if Hakyeon doesn't like some of the decisions he makes. So what is the purpose of the bet? To prove who is the better detective? 

He lost sight of the goal and it hasn't even been half a year. “I don't know,” he confesses, avoiding Taekwoon’s gaze. “It’s all for a bit of fun, really… We didn't really think it through, I guess.”

Taekwoon has always has a sense of wisdom around him. It’s one of the reasons Sanghyuk always finds comfort in turning to him. He’s older than him, more experienced and his personality is open and warm, even if he can be intimidating at first. But right now, Sanghyuk doesn’t particularly want to be analysed. 

But Taekwoon doesn’t say anything in return, simply gazing at his phone to read a text message that Sanghyuk can only assume is from Wonshik judging by the look on his face. He smiles and reads the text out to Sanghyuk telling him that Wonshik and Hakyeon’s final trial has finished, them winning the case so Wonshik is taking Hakyeon with him to meet up in order to celebrate. It’s been a tiring day for them both so Wonshik says they won’t drink much and Sanghyuk just nods in approval to the text, not bothering to speak. 

Taekwoon will be too wrapped up in Wonshik to bother analysing Hakyeon and Sanghyuk and he’s right on that account. When the lawyer shows up, Taekwoon stands immediately and hugs him, telling him how proud of him he is and Wonshik smiles, closing his eyes as he wraps his arms around the detective’s waist.

It’s suddenly way too intimate and Hakyeon seems to understand that too because he shoves Sanghyuk into the booth with a little more force than necessary, muttering that the other two are so hopelessly in love that it’s borderline gross. Sanghyuk laughs at that, shaking his head as Hakyeon leans back in his chair and smiles.

“Court went well, I heard?” Sanghyuk asks and Hakyeon nods, sighing in relief.

“It’s over now, so I have to be glad.” He closes his eyes for a moment, only opening them again when Wonshik and Taekwoon sit back down, talking between themselves quietly. He looks at Sanghyuk and he’s about to open his mouth to speak but his phone vibrates suddenly with a call, a frown creasing his brow. He hesitates to answer it, squinting at the contact name but when he does answer, he sits up straight and leans a little closer to Sanghyuk, trying to relax himself and he only now realises that Hakyeon is once again wearing tight jeans and a loose turtleneck, making him look very soft with his fluffy hair. He must not have to have worn his uniform today to court today and Sanghyuk likes that.

“This is detective Cha?” Hakyeon answers but he doesn’t sound sure. His eyes widen and he suddenly grips Sanghyuk’s wrist, shaking his arm around frantically.

Sanghyuk tries to snatch his wrist away but to no avail. This commotion doesn’t even startle Taekwoon which is a little more concerning. Hakyeon’s grip is way too strong. “Ow, what? What is it?”

“Yes, I am in charge of this case… Thank you, thank you so much, I’ll be there soon.” Hakyeon hangs up, turning to Wonshik to apologise but his friend shakes his head, spying the time and he doesn’t bother hiding the fact that he’s holding Taekwoon’s hand now. Hakyeon smiles at him, shoving at Sanghyuk before dragging him out of the bar to his car. He has half a mind to protest going with him but Hakyeon seems serious and he said case on the phone. This is official work and Sanghyuk needs to go with him as his partner.

“I’m in charge of an old case,” Hakyeon explains when he finally asks, quickening his pace to Sanghyuk’s car. His boots clack on the pavement. “I was undercover for three months, gathering information. I worked for a front for the mafia and as far as they know, I’m just a college student trying to pay my student loans off.” He swings himself into Sanghyuk’s car, basically vibrating on the seat. “And I’m dead.”

“Well, that makes things a lot easier,” Sanghyuk comments, flicking the GPS to the location Hakyeon put in. “So, what came up?”

“Someone who was also thought to be dead, Master Lee, is apparently back. We’re lucky because when I took down the case, I was blonde and constantly wore eyeliner.” He chuckles and Sanghyuk keeps his eyes on the road, ignoring the thoughts of Hakyeon’s pretty eyes rimmed with black. “I kept my head down and they never really asked questions, even if I could hear everything they were saying. I wasn’t important enough for them to care about, and it was convenient when the force faked my death as a homicide. They got rid of a loose end.”

“Who killed you?” Sanghyuk asks, a little scared of the answer but it was staged as a hit and run, Hakyeon’s college student persona, ‘Donghun’ dying in a busy intersection, caught on camera clear as day and the rest is history.

“I have no ties,” Hakyeon says quietly, looking down. “I was protected and no one figured it out. But my cover was almost blown and the mafia ran underground. I haven’t heard anything for four years.” He clicks his tongue, bringing up his phone for the moment to read of it. “My informant gave me a call with new information. If I can make this arrest, it will set down a case I’ve been working for almost five years.”

Sanghyuk nods slowly, pulling into the parking lot behind the restaurant Hakyeon was sent. They step out together and Hakyeon quickly grabs his hand before they walk inside, pulling him closer to him to whisper in his ear.

“The guy I’m looking for, the informant, his name is Wooyoung.” Hakyeon wraps his arm around Sanghyuk’s suddenly, making them look like a couple as the walk in. “I just need to watch him, really. Find out where he goes. He’s-” Hakyeon takes a breath quickly, nodding his head in front of them and Sanghyuk puffs out his cheeks, trying to act casual. God, it’s hot in here. 

Wooyoung and a girl on his arm are looking for a table, too, the girl looking back and smiling at them out of politeness. Hakyeon smiles back nervously and when the waitress asks how many people are in their party, Hakyeon replies with an easy smile, his eyes lighting up.

“Just the two of us,” he says, pressing closer to Sanghyuk. “You know… We’re celebrating tonight. Kihyun here just proposed tonight and… this is where we had our first date.” He flutters his eyelashes up at him, glancing at the waitress.

_ Why? WHY IS MY NAME KIHYUN? WHO IS KIHYUN?  _ Sanghyuk blinks, flashing his most convincing smile because what kind of detective would he be if he didn’t know how to act his part? “Yeah, I’m glad he said yes,” he blurts, smiling at Hakyeon. “I don’t really like grand gestures but I figured this might be nice, even if it’s small.”

“It’s more than enough,” Hakyeon reassures, kissing his cheek softly with a coy smile. Sanghyuk doesn’t have to try and fake the blush that’s on his cheeks but the waitress buys it, her face lighting up with a pretty smile and she’s ushers both them and Wooyoung’s party into the restaurant even though it’s very busy and Wooyoung smirks at them, not commenting. He doesn’t even look at Hakyeon, completely passing over him and Sanghyuk lets Hakyeon quickly pull the ring he always wears on his pointer finger off, slipping it onto his ring finger. It fits well enough for the illusion.

They’re seated right next to Wooyoung and his girlfriend, who’s name is Hyunjin and she is definitely  _ not _ subtle with everything she does. She talks to Hakyeon immediately, asking him about the ring and how Sanghyuk proposed and everything about how they met. Wooyoung doesn’t say much, glancing at Sanghyuk with a small smile but he does nothing to stop his girlfriend.

Hakyeon talks about Sanghyuk like they’re actually engaged, playing up the story. Apparently, Kihyun and  _ Chan _ met three years ago after Kihyun attended their mutual friend’s wedding. They hit it off and never stopped talking, starting to date even though Chan was in medical school and it had been difficult for them to see each other a lot. But they made it through and they  _ couldn’t be happier _ .

Hyunjin can’t stop smiling and she stares at Hakyeon’s ring, commenting how beautiful it looks against his skin. She’s nosy but it’s not bothering them, especially since Wooyoung is slowly starting to talk with them whilst making not so subtle glances at the kitchen and bathroom. He’s an informant and he’s not really good at hiding but any wrong move could make him suspicious so Sanghyuk holds Hakyeon’s hand to play the part of the loving partner, staring at him with a smile and that seems to do it for them.

But when Wooyoung gets up, so does Sanghyuk on accident, deciding he might go check out the bathroom. Wooyoung doesn’t seem worried and leads the way without a word. Sanghyuk finishes before him, subtly trying to wait him out but it grows suspicious quickly, his gut giving him a bad feeling so he leaves, finding Hakyeon waiting with his hands behind his back, where his gun is.

“Just me,” Sanghyuk says, smiling at him but he presses closer when another man brushes past them into the bathroom. Hakyeon looks over his shoulder into the bathroom, his eyes widening slightly before softly apologising to him, meeting Sanghyuk’s eyes.

“It’s for the mission,” his partner says quickly and before Sanghyuk can even question what he means, Hakyeon’s lips are against his, nothing more than a simple kiss but Sanghyuk hears the door open and his hands are on his hips, pulling him closer and kissing him with enough force to almost shove him into the wall. It’s nothing more than a simple kiss but Hakyeon’s lips are smooth and when he pulls away shyly, Sanghyuk licks his lips and tastes cherry.

Hakyeon even smiles when he pulls away, hiding himself in Sanghyuk’s shoulder, his hands smoothing down Sanghyuk’s shirt and he most definitely can feel the way his heart is beating so much faster.

Wooyoung is behind them in the doorway of the bathroom, raising his eyebrows at the scene so Sanghyuk laughs, wrapping his arm around Hakyeon’s waist to keep him close. “Sorry,” he says, rubbing Hakyeon’s back as he continues to hide, his cheeks hot. “I guess we’re back in the honeymoon phase. I feel like a teenager again.”

Wooyoung doesn’t seem bothered, laughing simply before shrugging. “Hey, everyone says that’s the best one, so. Aren’t you guys high school sweethearts, too?”

_ Collecting information,  _ Sanghyuk notes, shaking his head at Wooyoung’s comment because he remembers Hakyeon’s story. “We met a few years back, but it sure feels like it.” He glances down at Hakyeon who’s trying keep his face shaded but his expression instantly changes when Wooyoung walks away. He’s not suspicious but Sanghyuk doesn’t let Hakyeon go for a moment, a questioning look in his eyes.

“Sorry,” Hakyeon says again, quietly. His arms slip around Sanghyuk’s shoulders, keeping up the front for a moment. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. But with the story, I figured it would be best to just make it look like… we’re actually in love?” He swallows, looking back at the table. “But when I was called, the warrant they’ve gotten allows me to plant a bug on him, so I did in his jacket. Hyunjin didn’t question it since she left to have a cigarette.” He takes a breath, his hand coming up to thread through the hair at Sanghyuk’s neck, making him shiver. “But I don’t know if Master Lee is working with him… They never really liked each other, Wooyoung has always been young and a little childish, so she never really tolerated him.”

“Wait, Master Lee is a woman?” Sanghyuk breathes, confused.

Hakyeon looks at him, breaking into a smile. “That’s incredibly old fashioned of you, Han. But yes, she is. She used to stop in the kitchens when I worked in the front. There’d always be a lot of arguing and I know she was the leader in the whole operation.”

“Okay, then should I check for her in the kitchens?”

“Don’t make it obvious,” Hakyeon replies, watching the restaurant as it moves. “See if you can find anything. And I’m sorry again.”

Sanghyuk doesn’t trust himself to speak, his mind running away from him but he manages a small smile for his partner. He slowly lets Hakyeon go, slipping back to the table. Wooyoung is still gone and Sanghyuk quickly excuses himself, making an excuse up to try and see if he can get a celebratory dessert for their engagement, Hyunjin cheering him on before turning back Hakyeon and bombarding him with questions. He hates to leave him like that but he has a feeling that Hakyeon is much better at lying about this story he’s come up with than Sanghyuk is.

Wooyoung is in the kitchen, talking with a woman who doesn’t look happy but they don’t see Sanghyuk. He’s able to hide out at a table with a girl who’s sitting alone next to the swinging doors that the waiting staff come in and out of and he smiles at her, explaining quickly that he’s a cop and she just stares at him, opening her mouth to reply but he shakes his head, saying he won’t be here for long. 

The argument inside raises in volumes but Sanghyuk can’t make out what exactly is been said. “Can I borrow your hat?” he asks the girl and she hands it to him, a simple black cap that hides his hair. He’s not facing the kitchen doors and Wooyoung walks out in a rush, grabbing his jacket from the table and Sanghyuk can hear them from over here, luckily. 

“Oh, Kihyun’s back in the bathroom,” Hakyeon quickly says, giving a bashful smile as he scratches his cheek. “He’s mildly lactose intolerant so the dish he had must have had something sneaky inside it. I should have been more careful but-”

“Oh, don’t stress about it, honey,” Hyunjin says, waving him off and touching his shoulder reassuring. “Have fun at your wedding! And your honeymoon!”

Wooyoung makes a weird face, throwing on his jacket without a comment. Hakyeon keeps up the act, waving at them as they leave and Sanghyuk waits for a few moments before standing up and handing the cap back to the girl, smiling at her in thanks.

Hakyeon switches on the bug and hands an ear piece to Sanghyuk when he returns and it’s exactly what they need to hear. Wooyoung mentions someone named Jae and Hakyeon nods, back to business immediately, pulling his jacket on. Hyunjin leaves, opening the car door and kissing Wooyoung goodbye. 

“Jae is important,” Hkayeon says, waiting for more conversation from Wooyoung. “She’s got long hair, usually in a plait and it was dyed purple when I knew her. Did you see her in the kitchen? She is Master Lee. Before they went underground, Jae was a cook for where I worked.”

“He did speak to a waitress but she had black hair.” Sanghyuk thinks for a moment before clicking his fingers at his partner. “She had a tattoo, on her neck. A flower?”

“Yes! That’s her.” Hakyeon smiles, standing up quickly. He leaves the restaurant, Sanghyuk trailing after him and they pile into the car whilst Hakyeon calls his own informant, telling him the details of the case and asking what their next course of action should be. Wooyoung’s bug crackles back in, his voice a little quiet but they pick it up loud and clear.

_ “There will be a drop off point. The money I mentioned last week will be in a suitcase. An associate of mine will be guarding it. Do not disappoint me.” _

“That’s the money that disappeared three years ago when they went underground,” Hakyeon’s informant says. “The money you were chasing down before we had to, you know, kill you.” His voice is deeper than Sanghyuk thought it would be and his contact name reads  _ Changkyun _ . “They never did anything with it because it would be easy to track. Things must have been traded and-”

_ “The diamonds are in the kitchen, _ ” Wooyoung says to whoever is on the phone, his pick up contact.  _ “Jae has them. She’s your problem, not mine. She said she’d cut my throat if I tried to sell them, too.” _

“There’s your answer,” Changkyun comments, a smirk in his voice. “We thought they’d be out of the country by now so this is good. I’ll get another warrant for the kitchen if I can. Did you get any information from there?”

“Wooyoung and Jae were fighting,” Sanghyuk says, typing in the location Wooyoung said earlier as the dropoff point. “Jae looked pissed. Like, beyond angry. I don’t think she and Wooyoung are working together, even if they’re in the same mafia family.”

Changkyun tells them to head to the drop off location because the money that went missing is close to half a million will be there, something that has only been gaining interest until now. The money was insurance for the restaurant that burnt down, the one Hakyeon worked at before the family disappeared. Sanghyuk tunes out Changkyun but the informant doesn’t say anything more, hanging up and Hakyeon is first out of the car when they get there.

The diamonds are another story. They’re the reason Hakyeon was there in the first place four years ago but Jae has them now. They were passed down through the family but after the original owner, a grandmother of the family, was murdered, the diamonds suddenly went missing and were never located. More diamonds were stolen a few weeks afterwards, around near the restaurant Hakyeon worked at and he worked the case but nothing was located. Since Changkyun believes they were going to be sold, it’s a good thing they weren’t. And if they’re in Jae’s possession, that closes a lot of the side cases involved in this grand scheme.

Sanghyuk is a little lost in it all because there’s a lot more to this case than he knows. He’s a little confused by it all but it’s important that they get this money because the restaurant being burnt down is arson and that’s a good enough thing to pin on the family to investigate them now that they’ve resurfaced.

Sanghyuk takes a breath and tries to focus his own brain for this case.

  
  


***

  
  


Hakyeon is focused as he steps out of the car. The drop off point is a park, a little bit public but there’s barely anyone around. Another man is guarding the case that sits on the ground at his feet. A suit adorns him, fitting and slim. He’s rich by the looks of it, a diamond earring in his ear, too, which is almost too good to be true. Even his shoes are shiny.

Hakyeon pulls Sanghyuk in close so they don’t look suspicious. No one has caught onto who they are and Hakyeon is a lot older than he once was, his hair a little too long and covering his eyes if he lets it. And Sanghyuk isn’t recognisable, considering he looks a lot younger than he is. They don’t have anything to be fearful of since even if they are recognised, they’ll be making a bust tonight. He just hopes Changkyun can get the warrant so they don’t alert Jae with this bust.

“What’s the plan?” Sanghyuk asks, crowding him in close, looking down at him. To anyone else, they look like a couple, maybe even just close friends but Sanghyuk, for whatever sake of it, kisses his forehead softly. “What are we waiting for?”

“The pickup,” Hakyeon whispers, his hands in Sanghyuk’s. They’re both staring at the ring between them, all while Hakyeon subtly glances at the guard. “Jae is behind it… It will be one of her boys, I think. Whoever it is, this is the pick up spot Wooyoung said. That case is full of money, I can just  _ feel _ it.” He glances to the side, his phone vibrating and he sighs in relief. “Changkyun found a way in. The restaurant will be investigated, too.”

Sanghyuk hums, leaning his forehead against Hakyeon’s for good measure. “What if you’re wrong? About the money?” he asks, moving his face slowly and pressing his nose against Hakyeon’s. He doesn’t do anything more than that but Hakyeon’s heart starts to obnoxiously race.  _ Not now. Keep it together, Cha, God damn it. _

“I’m not wrong,” he replies, replicating the tone. He doesn’t move at all, glancing up at his partner but looking to the side for the guard. “It’s not wrong. He’s on the phone… Don’t make it weird.”

“You kissed me first.”

“I hate you so much,” Hakyeon spits back, lifting his hands to thread them through the hair at the back of Sanghyuk’s head. “You’re a brat. You know it, too.”

“I know it very well,” Sanghyuk answers, his hands on Hakyeon’s hips. He doesn’t move but Hakyeon glances again, meeting the eyes of the guard accidentally so he looks to the other side, as if he’s looking around before apologising again.

_ It’s for the case,  _ he thinks as he kisses Sanghyuk again and tries to pretend that his partner isn’t a good kisser and that his hands on his hips don’t feel nice. This is for the case, he needs this arrest and kissing Sanghyuk is a way to get it because they’re partners. It’s their job to look out for each other and right now, this is what they have to do for it.

The guard turns at the sound of a name that seems to be  _ Sunghyun _ and he lifts the case, opening it to the man who stands there, inspecting it. Hakyeon pulls his gun out, not pulling away from Sanghyuk just yet but he can see the stacks of cash  _ right there _ and he pulls away, pointing and screaming his head off because he doesn’t know what the fuck is running through his head but his mouth is saying the rights and the guard is on the ground, the case in front of him and Sanghyuk is moving, grabbing the second perp before he can start running.

Sanghyuk grins at him, his eyes bright as he tightens the cuffs on the perp he has and Hakyeon smiles back, relieved that all of this is finally over. The guard is arrested too, Hakyeon’s phone coming to his ear without a second thought. He’s in muscle memory now, consumed in himself. Changkyun texts him to confirm the restaurant bust. He smiles at his phone, proud of himself and of Changkyun.

Sanghyuk speaks to him and he nods in reply, deaf to whatever he just said but Sanghyuk is hugging him and oh, he’s very warm. “You did well,” Sanghyuk says to him, right in his ear and Hakyeon takes a sharp breath in, nodding into his shoulder, tucking himself in like he did in the restaurant. He has nothing to say in return, his mind is blank. But that’s okay.

Four years ago, Donghun walked so that Hakyeon could run and now he’s closed a case he’s been trying to close for almost six years. “We did well,” he manages, smiling when Sanghyuk pulls back from him, grinning down at him with all his boyish innocence. His hands are on Hakyeon’s shoulders, his own Sanghyuk’s forearms and they grin at each other. Hakyeon feels his chest tighten at the smile but he simply pulls away, rubbing his hands together and sighing. It’s all over now.

Back to the precinct like they always have to. Hakyeon’s favourite mind numbing place to think about nothing. But Hakyeon can’t escape that easily and Sanghyuk catches him in the break room, saying “We need to talk,” and affecting scaring Hakyeon shitless. He almost throws his paperwork up in his hast, staring at his partner.

He looks up at Sanghyuk in surprise, his mouth parting slowly. He frowns instead of asking, hoping it will mask his nerves but Sanghyuk sits down, eyeing the arrest report in front of Hakyeon for a moment before rubbing his face as Hakyeon pulls his papers back together quickly.

“We kissed,” is all he says and Hakyeon’s stomach shrivels into a black hole that he wishes he could crawl into. Do they really have to talk about this? It’s not the first time Hakyeon has kissed someone for a case but- For fuck’s sake.

“Yes,” he replies dumbly before rolling his eyes at himself. Sanghyuk doesn’t bother hiding his chuckle. Well, thank God that he’s not bothered by this. Hakyeon’s been in a weird state of  _ what the fuck _ and  _ God, I hope he doesn’t think I’m weird  _ for the past two hours. Sanghyuk hasn’t said anything to him since the arrest but Hakyeon isn’t innocent because he put on his headphones and ignored everyone since he got into the break room.

“We did,” Hakyeon tries again, looking down in shame. How the hell does he either try to justify this? “Look, Han, I don’t-”

“ _ Hyuk _ ,” his partner corrects, urging him with raised eyebrows. His grin is back and Hakyeon is a little entranced by his goofy smile. “Don’t get formal on me right now. We need to talk but I’m not angry with you.”

“It was for the case,” Hakyeon blurts, squeezing his hands together nervously. “I’m… I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It was out of line and I- Well, I’m sorry for it. If there was another way, I would have done it but I-”

“It’s okay,” Sanghyuk interrupts, waving his hand quickly to get him to shut up. He reaches over and touches Hakyeon’s hand, as if that will make this conversation less awkward. But it’s nice and Hakyeon moves his hand to hold his hand properly. “It was for the case. I just wanted to tell you that it’s okay. I’m not holding anything against you.”

Hakyeon’s devil heart speeds up and he smiles nervously, his thoughts running a mile a minute. It’s fine, right? Sanghyuk leaves, slowly drawing his hand away from his grasp and Hakyeon keeps his red cheeks to himself because he’s embarrassed that he liked being kissed by Sanghyuk but that’s normal. Sanghyuk is an attractive man, that much is obvious and Hakyeon isn’t  _ stupid _ and he’s a good kisser too but that’s it. It’s not weird, it doesn’t have to be weird and this is fine.

When Hakyeon calls Sanghyuk in to sign the arrest report, his partner shakes his head, giving him a lopsided grin again and Hakyeon swallows, his brow creasing into a frown.

“You keep the arrests,” he says quietly, leaning over Hakyeon’s desk. He signs off as first officer on the scene but that’s the only place he signs, leaving the rest to Hakyeon. He sits back at his desk without another word, shamelessly yawning at his computer. 

Hakyeon smiles to himself but he ends up scowling, hating his heart for betraying him. He’ll get over himself. It’s been a long night and he needs a coffee and a punch to the face before he finally blacks out for the night. That’s all that needs to be on his mind right now, not anything else like the man across from him.

Hopefully, he can black out for the rest of the week.

  
  


***

Hongbin is at Sanghyuk’s desk at nine in the morning, bright and early which is very much  _ not _ a common thing, which is why it’s suspicious. Hakyeon sits against his filing cabinet, his legs crossed and Sanghyuk pointedly ignores how good he looks in all black and combat boots.

“Hello, people who don’t belong here,” he greets, smiling sarcastically at Hongbin before shoving his wheelie chair to the side with his foot. Hongbin spins, not bothered at all and when he stops, his arms are crossed.

“It’s Jaehwan’s birthday next week,” he says, smug. He thinks he has the upper hand but Sanghyuk raises his eyebrow, putting his bag down delicately. He bends down and pulls out the figurine he bought a few weeks ago for Jaehwan, smiling toothily at Hongbin who rolls his eyes and shoves him to the ground.

“Okay, let’s not act like children,” Hakyeon utters, literally looking down at them from the desk. Hongbin sits on Sanghyuk’s stomach, shooting a dirty look at Hakyeon but he stands up and helps Sanghyuk up, shoving him in the chest when he finally has his balance, barely swaying him.

“He doesn't want to go out,” Hongbin says when Sanghyuk asks what they're doing for the doctor’s celebration. “I think his family is coming over and he doesn't like drinking. I only came here to make fun of you if you didn't have a present for him but that attempt failed miserably.”

“At least you admit it,” Sanghyuk snipes back, sitting back down in his chair. The smirk he sends Hongbin is ignored but Hakyeon doesn't move from his desk, his eyes elsewhere. He doesn't even look up when Hongbin leaves with a farewell over his shoulder but he startles when Sanghyuk touches the side of his leg to get his attention, nothing more.

His partner shakes his head, his hair fluffy and pulled forward. It looks like it’s mused from his pillow but Sanghyuk stops that thought before it can go any further. “Sorry,” Hakyeon says quietly, his gaze still not meeting Sanghyuk’s. “Just thinking. Anyways, how long have you known Jaehwan?”

“God, that was horrific to listen to,” Sanghyuk says but he doesn't dismiss Hakyeon. It’s banter, if anything, because Hakyeon’s question is sudden and not played off casually. “I met him on my first day here. So, five years almost.”

The way Hakyeon sits is… a lot, to say the least but he shifts and Sanghyuk can't help but look at his chest because it’s in his face for a moment as Hakyeon moves before his partner is moving away from his desk without another word, no further comment on anything. Sanghyuk blinks, confused but he doesn't comment either. 

Hakyeon disappears with Chansik halfway through the day and Sanghyuk takes the chance to add up his arrests from the past few weeks to add them to the whiteboard. Hakyeon is in the lead by four, courtesy of Changkyun’s information and Sanghyuk stares at the board for a moment, simply in thought.

He's suddenly made aware of Hakyeon’s file sitting in the bottom of his desk drawer but he doesn't move to get it. It’s been four months since Hakyeon came to the precinct now. He knows some things about him now and he’s yet to open the file to have a snoop but it feels wrong to even think about it. That file doesn’t need to be opened and for a moment, he thinks about throwing it away.

He blinks and before he can register what he’s doing, he’s already pulling out the file and shoving it into the bin underneath his desk. Hakyeon doesn’t look up from his computer, scanning documents rapidly and Sanghyuk selfishly takes the time just to look at him, looking back down immediately when Hakyeon looks at him. He puffs out his cheeks to hide his embarrassed smile and Hakyeon looks away, leaving him alone.

Sanghyuk ends up working a few cases by himself. They’re simple cases and all he needs is for Hakyeon to oversee them so he can sign off on his progress. Tonight they’ll have a little birthday party for Jaehwan at his apartment because Jaehwan is quite close with them, even Hakyeon and since Taekwoon is invited, he requests for Wonshik to be brought along too.

“Isn’t it weird?” Hongbin mutters to himself as he searches for a cell phone ping that Sanghyuk asks for him to help him find a robber from a breaking and entering case. “Those two together? You were closer with Taekwoon-hyung, so is it weird to see him with Kim?”

“I am close with hyung,” Sanghyuk replies, eyes on Hongbin’s hands as he types. “It’s a little weird but that’s only because I didn’t think I’d ever see hyung fall for someone. Kim treats him well, I guess.”

“Do you think him and Jaehwan will get along?”

Sanghyuk hadn’t thought about that yet. Jaehwan adopted Hakyeon when he first came to the precinct and he and Taekwoon worked together for a few years before Sanghyuk showed up. But Wonshik is another story. He’s a little uptight but loveable, if Sanghyuk has to admit that and Jaehwan is basically a puppy dog in human form. He feels like they would get along because it’s quite hard to keep a straight face around Jaehwan but he really doesn’t know. 

He shrugs, taking the paper that Hongbin prints out for him and yawns. “I’ll see you tonight and we can find out.” He smirks when Hongbin chuckles and heads back upstairs to let Hakyeon sign off on a few things. Sanghyuk’s team is quick to act on the information he sends them and he lets them in later on when the robber is eventually tracked down and caught. He’s young and inexperienced but he puts up a hell of a fight, screaming his head off until Sanghyuk tells him to shut up and locks the holding cell door on him.

“One more,” he says to Hakyeon who simply hums in reply, signing the documents he needs. Sanghyuk ducks into the breakroom to add another point to his score but pauses in shock. He shakes his head frantically and adds the point to his name but it doesn’t close the gap between them. Hakyeon managed to pull ahead overnight.

“How did you do that?” he shouts, slamming his hand on Hakyeon’s desk. His mentor looks up at him calmly, a smug smile on his face that’s trying so hard to be innocent.

“I had an old case for a prostitution ring and arrested thirty guys for solisiting.”

“That’s not a crime,” Sanghyuk breathes, not backing down when Hakyeon stands up, almost nose to nose with him. He shouldn’t like this, the way Hakyeon lifts his chin and relaxes his shoulders, their chests almost touching. It’s a way of intimidation but Sanghyuk is finding the tactic useful for all the wrong reasons. “It’s not, you know-”

“It is if it’s your second offense.” Hakyeon’s voice drops to a whisper and Sanghyuk’s eye twitches, his lip almost curling into a snarl. “Which is the case for  _ ten _ of them.”

Sanghyuk takes a breath, dropping his face into a forced smile while Hakyeon’s eyes twinkle with mischief. The two of them are caught in a stare down and Sanghyuk is violently reminded of three weeks ago when Hakyeon kissed him. He grits his teeth together, hating that he might lose this stand off but he ends up turning away because his mind is a traitor and makes him think about things he really shouldn’t that involve his partner.

He sits alone in the breakroom, staring at the whiteboard and he starts to scowl, Taekwoon’s words popping into his head. Why  _ did _ they start this bet? All it has given Sanghyuk is a fuck load of confusing feelings that are definitely not professional and a slight ego boost that he probably didn’t need. They did this to prove he didn’t need to be babysat but Sanghyuk feels like he’s done more in his time with Hakyeon than he has ever done by himself at this precinct and that scares him because they won’t always work together. This bet only goes for a year and then what will they do? Will they even still be partners?

Hakyeon is a sergeant. He runs this precinct from a higher command and yet he was put in charge of Sanghyuk, choosing to work with him and mentor him as best as he can. Sanghyuk is grateful, actually. He can’t ignore the fact that Hakyeon is  _ legendary _ in the police department and to learn under his wing is a privilege that he selfishly took for granted at first but now… It gave him a reality check of sorts, made him realise that teamwork is extremely important and that every person in this precinct can be his partner at the drop of a hat. He didn’t realise that importance.

And Hakyeon is ahead of him now and he feels challenged but at the same time, it makes him a little proud. Hakyeon is rising to this challenge and chasing Sanghyuk down to keep up with him. They’re at each other’s throats but it’s almost funny the way they work together whilst being rivals.

Sanghyuk taps his knuckles on the table, chewing his lip a little and smirks. He always hated self reflection during training but he’s beginning to realise there’s a lot he still has to learn, just like Taekwoon told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello ! happy reading! please tell me what you think!!


	7. bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are mentions of a drug arrest in this chapter. it's nothing major but hyuk interviews someone to clear the air. i doubt there will be much more detail in the coming chapters, so just a warning ^^

_ “Happy birthday to you!” _

Jaehwan claps like a little kid, smiling at the phone that Wonshik holds up so they can get a photo of the night. Hyungwon pushes in close for the photo and Jaehwan lets his cheeks be squished by him, Hongbin on the other side and poking his hair. It’s a strange pose but Wonshik smiles, snapping photos especially when Taekwoon stands behind Jaehwan and plays with his hair, pulling it back to get it out of his eyes.

“Okay,” Jaehwan says, batting their hands away from him so he can cut his cake. Hakyeon got it for him, a few figurines on the top that Jaehwan has spoken to him about on the night shift, apparently. He’s much older than a preteen boy but he still likes a lot of things from his childhood and he especially likes superheroes and action movies, things that get him excited.

“Who wants cake?” Jaehwan asks and Hakyeon smiles at him, politely refusing but Sanghyuk sits down next to him, asking for two slices because there’s only a few people here, Jaehwan having already celebrated with his family a few days ago. His actual birthday was yesterday but it’s a Friday night and none of them have work tomorrow, thank God. Taekwoon is already three beers down and Wonshik is on his second gin and tonic, tapping into Jaehwan’s generous offering of spirits from his liquor collection.

“I didn’t think you’d be a drinker,” Wonshik comments once the cake is handed out, Hyungwon in the lounge room with Hongbin next to him. Jaehwan looks up at Wonshik and smiles, shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t drink often, that’s all.” He meets Taekwoon’s eyes and eats the detective’s spoonful of cake, making him protest with a mouth full of cake. “It depends,” he says around his chewing. “It’s there if I want it but I know what drinking can do to your body from my job.” He winks at Wonshik, making the lawyer raise his eyebrows and laugh, but he still sips his drink.

Taekwoon mutters into his cake, keeping it close to himself but he feeds Wonshik with no protest when he sits down next to him. Hakyeon laughs, glancing at Sanghyuk next to him who has frosting smeared all over his face.

“God, you’re a child,” he says to him, watching his partner chew as he meets his gaze, looking like a cat with a face full of cream. “How did you get it on your nose?”

“Big nose,” Sanghyuk answers, tapping the tip of it with his finger, pointing at Jaehwan who does the same motion back, eating his cake straight off the knife. It’s his party; he can do what he wants, even if it is disgusting.

“Not all of us can have round faces,” Sanghyuk adds, poking Hakyeon’s cheek. He recoils from him, frowning. “Seriously, your face is a literal circle.”

Hakyeon scoffs. “It is not.”

“Hyung, it is,” Wonshik pipes up, looking at him with a smirk. Taekwoon is leaning his head on his shoulder, his eyes closed and Hakyeon is quickly realising that the older Taekwoon gets, the more of a lightweight he becomes. But it’s cute, the way he gets all cuddly with Wonshik and makes the lawyer soft.

“Okay, maybe my face is round,” Hakyeon admits, biting his lip to keep himself from commenting further. Sanghyuk doesn’t say anything more, silently eating next to him but he pats Hakyeon’s shoulder and smiles at him cockily, basking in his win.

“You look like a bear and you’re too oversized for your own good,” Hakyeon replies, scowling at him just to get a rise but Sanghyuk agrees with him, smiling and Hakyeon feels his stomach churn at the sight but not in a bad way. He’s cute and sometimes, it really infuriates Sanghyuk.

“I’ve been this tall since I was eighteen. It’s like I turned eighteen and my body decided to shoot me up into the sky.”

“You should have kept growing,” Taekwoon mumbles before he stands up to get himself another drink. Wonshik watches him and stands up to follow him into the kitchen, crowding him in and kissing him sweetly, away from the eyes of the birthday boy since Jaehwan leaves too, flopping himself into Hongbin’s lap in the lounge room. Leaving them at the table, alone and Hakyeon to stare at Sanghyuk as he talks.

“Some of us can’t be as tall as you,” he says, cursing himself. This feels like useless flirting but it’s almost cute,  _ almost _ , the way Sanghyuk’s eyes crinkle when he smiles. Are they friends now? Do friends flirt? God, Hakyeon is going to lose his mind over this boy.

“And some of us can’t be as round as you. It’s just how it works sometimes,  _ hyung _ .”

Hakyeon sighs, taking Sanghyuk’s spoon from his hand so he has a reason to pick at something. “It’s really not a compliment. You know it’s not. Why do you only call me hyung when you want something?”

“I don’t want anything.” Sanghyuk smirks at him, all boyish charm. “We’re friends now, aren’t we?” 

Hakyeon stares at him and he hates himself because he thinks about their case together. He kissed him and he hates that he kind of wouldn’t mind doing it again. He turns his head away from Sanghyuk because the rational part of his brain is just screaming at him to keep this professional. He’s always been professional and now is a good example of it, him and his impeccable self control.

“Hyung,” Sanghyuk says to him, leaning in closer to whisper in his ear. “Come out to the balcony with me.”

Hakyeon tries to hide his shiver by scowling at him, but the expression won’t hide his flushed ears. “Why should I?”

Sanghyuk smiles at him, beckoning him to stand. “We can talk outside.” He glances at the kitchen and when Hakyeon looks, he scoffs because Taekwoon is four seconds away from crying because Wonshik is teasing him by not kissing him, keeping just out of reach. 

Hakyeon stomps over to Sanghyuk, sliding the balcony door open and standing outside. But it’s cold and Hakyeon immediately starts shivering from his thin shirt, tensing when Sanghyuk lays his jacket over his shoulders. He thanks him and Sanghyuk leans against the railing, watching the inside curiously, his dark eyes alight. It’s spring, and the crickets are making a racket but it’s peaceful, the summer time quickly approaching.

“Is DA Kim usually like this?” Sanghyuk asks softly, crossing his arms. “Like, all soft and gross with someone else?”

Hakyeon can’t help but smile. He’s known Wonshik for some time now but he’s never dated anyone seriously, not like this. “He’s… He’s always kept to himself about things like this. He doesn’t mess around with people but… I can tell he loves Taekwoon.”

“I’m happy for hyung but I didn’t think DA Kim was who he would get with.” Sanghyuk laughs, looking at Hakyeon and he smiles back, dropping his gaze to hide his cheeks. He can blame it on the jacket keeping him warm and the warm breeze that ruffles their hair. Hakyeon absentmindedly reaches up to touch his hair, realising it’s getting a little long. 

“I didn’t think Wonshik would be the one Taekwoon finally fell for, either,” Hakyeon retorts, settling the jacket on his shoulders. “But even then, Taekwoon’s the last person I expected Wonshik to…” He gestures randomly, not knowing what to say.

“Act all domestic and sappy with?” Sanghyuk offers, raising his eyebrows in mock question. Hakyeon can’t help but agree with him, shrugging underneath the jacket. Sanghyuk is a lot broader than him and he already knew that but he’s swimming in his jacket, the shoulders fitting him and making him feel warm and safe.

“Love is a strange thing,” Hakyeon says quietly, looking out into the neighbourhood. He smiles softly to himself, shaking his head eventually and looking up at Sanghyuk, whose eyes are right on him, boring into him.

His partner seems surprised that their gazes meet and looks away, making Hakyeon chuckle at his pink cheeks. Hakyeon nods his head to the inside and Sanghyuk straightens himself from the railing, letting Hakyeon walk in front of him, shutting the door behind him. Hakyeon hands him his jacket back and the apartment is oddly quiet, Jaehwan seeming to have disappeared and Hyungwon is asleep in the lounge room, his head against his chest. 

Wonshik and Taekwoon are still in the kitchen but Taekwoon is tucked into Wonshik’s shoulder, holding him more than hugging and Jaehwan is speaking with Wonshik over the detective’s head. It’s a quiet conversation and when Hakyeon steps into the kitchen, Jaehwan puts his arm around him with a smile, gesturing to Wonshik.

“DA Kim was just telling me about how he met you,” Jaehwan says, looking at Hakyeon with a grin. “I like hearing about other people. It’s fun.”

“You’d make a good detective,” Sanghyuk comments from the other side of the bar top, smirking when Jaehwan sticks his tongue out at him, muttering that he could never do something like that despite working very closely with detectives.

“It’s late,” Hongbin says from the lounge room after some time, standing up and pulling Hyungwon with him. The assistant wakes up slowly, even after being pulled to his feet and Hakyeon must admit, he looks very cute when he's sleepy.

Jaehwan is quick to bid them farewell and Wonshik soon leaves afterwards, taking Taekwoon with him. Hakyeon decides he can give Jaehwan another birthday present by helping him clean up his apartment a little while Sanghyuk readies himself to head off soon, the time bordering on midnight. They don’t have work for the weekend but that doesn’t mean they aren’t tired.

“Happy birthday, hyung,” Sanghyuk says when they’re at the door, letting Jaehwan squish his cheeks and coo at him. Hakyeon pats his partner’s shoulder and wishes Jaehwan goodnight, following Sanghyuk down the hallway silently.

Where they’re in the elevator, Hakyeon stares at their reflections for a moment before looking down in thought, finding himself smiling a little. Sanghyuk glances at him, nudging him with his shoulder and Hakyeon looks at him to see him frowning.

“I’m just thinking,” Hakyeon says before his partner can ask. “You’re a sweet younger brother.”

Sanghyuk’s eyes widen but he scowls and shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “You’re ridiculous. I only let Jaehwan-hyung do that. Not even Taekwoon-hyung gets to coo over me like that.”

“Well, not before you hit him,” Hakyeon laughs, wrapping his coat around his arms. He’s not cold and he’s not hot either, but Sanghyuk has his own jacket thrown over his shoulder, his hands in his pockets. It only now strikes Hakyeon that Sanghyuk is a  _ man _ , despite his little boyish smiles and bright eyes. They haven’t known each other for a long time but Hakyeon is surprised by how much he’s grown, even in just the last few months. He’s smart and Hakyeon tells him so, making his partner look at him weirdly.

“Thanks?” he mutters, but Hakyeon just smiles in the reflection, catching his eyes and making him smile too. The elevator dings soon after and the walk through the lobby is silent until Hakyeon wishes Sanghyuk goodnight outside the apartment building.

“Get home safe, hyung,” Sanghyuk tells him, his hands still tucked into his pockets. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

Hakyeon nods, smiling at him. “Goodnight, Han. Get home safe, too.”

He turns away from him, taking the long way home to think about tonight and to just relax. He sighs into the air and only when he gets to his door does his brain turn back on and he realises his phone is vibrating with a few texts. Two are from Sanghyuk, as well as one from Jaehwan that thanks him for cleaning up.

  
  


**Han**

Did you get home safe?

**Han**

I did so it’s okay. Pls answer soon

  
  


Hakyeon laughs at the texts, unlocking his door and closing it behind him, flinging his keys around his finger as he types his reply. He decides last second to send a selfie in very awful lighting, throwing a peace sign up for good measure. It's a spur of the moment and once he does it, he feels strange, like that was a boundary he wasn’t supposed to cross yet.

But Sanghyuk’s reply is instant and it makes Hakyeon snort, locking his phone and easily heading to bed without a second thought, since Sanghyuk tells him so. He thinks this is good bonding, that they’re closer and Hakyeon can put his little crush moment behind him but he really doesn’t know. Whatever.

**Han**

Ew I didn’t ask for a photoshoot. Go 2 bed hyung

  
  


***

“Han, when I asked you to join me, I thought you would be helpful.”

Sanghyuk blinks, turning his head to Wonshik. He opens his mouth to reply but the DA glares at him, turning back to his client on the other side of the screen. There’s been an emergency appeal for his client, a twenty year old girl who was convicted for the murder of her boyfriend. There was circumstantial evidence that put her there and Wonshik has been working her case even since she was wrongfully placed behind bars based on the judgement of the jury.

“Don’t mess with me,” she says to Wonshik when they interview her through the bulletproof glass, holding phones to their ears, her name being Jeongha. She shakes her head but Wonshik is insistent, telling her they have another shot at her freedom and she smiles, her eyes set on Wonshik.

Sanghyuk came along to get more experience within court as well as see the evidence that convicted her in the first place. At first glance, it really does seem like she did it but she’s already in jail and she’s young, too. It seems too convenient to pin it on her.

“Does he think I did it?” Jeongha asks Wonshik, glancing at Sanghyuk suspiciously.

“No, Jeongha, he doesn’t,” Wonshik replies, smirking at Sanghyuk’s expression of disgust. “He’s here for experience. Don’t worry, he won’t be interacting with your case. His mentor is my close friend so I’m working with him, especially since I need a…” he pauses, glancing at Sanghyuk with a smirk, “ _ detective’s  _ eye for the evidence.”

“It sure looks like she did it,” Sanghyuk says to Wonshik once they’re back at his law firm, crossing his arms suspiciously. 

Wonshik stares at him before sighing, looking down at the files with side eye. He pulls up one of the papers and hands it to Sanghyuk. “Read that name for me.”

Sanghyuk lifts his eyebrow but he reads the name before rolling his eyes. Wonshik prompts him again, a strained smile on his face, trying his hardest to be patient. “Cha Hakyeon.”

“That’s correct.” Wonshik leans against his desk, folding his arms in return. “So, why do you think I’m hellbent on finding the  _ real _ murderer, Han? Use your brain, I know you have one.”

Sanghyuk doesn’t bother replying to  _ that _ comment and sighs, pursing his lips. “You don’t want to disappoint him. Is that something you feel a lot?”

“Don’t try and lawyer me,” Wonshik snaps, squinting at him. “Hakyeon doesn’t arrest the wrong people. I know Jeongha didn’t do it, but I need to prove that. And I need you to help me.” He pulls out Jeongha’s own testimony along with Hakyeon’s initial arrest and statement on the case.

“He arrested her on simple drug charges. If anything, that’s the only thing she’s guilty of.” Wonshik puffs out his cheeks, looking up at the ceiling. “The boyfriend came in later. The whole case is based on an eyewitness statement, basically.” He clears his throat, dropping his head to look at Sanghyuk. “I don’t mean to be petty. But the eyewitness is naive and-”

“I don’t really care,” Sanghyuk replies, scanning the file with pursed lips. Wonshik blinks at him but doesn’t comment again, leaving him to study the case. 

It’s like he said; Jeongha was convicted on drug charges and that background was used to slander her, making her motive that her boyfriend wanted her to get off the drugs but she flew into a rage and shot him when he attempted to take the gun that she acquired from a ‘friend’ from her. Or that’s what was said against her.

Jeongha claims that she wasn’t in the house when it happened. She was the one that found the body but she was also the one that rang the police. Because of the drug charge against her, it was convenient to pin it on her, to lock her away and get a stereotyped drug addicted girl off the street, desperate for a way to make herself look innocent. Hakyeon wasn’t the detective that lead the murder case, but he was the one that kickstarted the rising charges because of Jeongha’s drug arrest.

“You really like her,” Sanghyuk says to Wonshik, glancing up at the DA who bites his lip, trying to hide his smile. But he does laugh, looking up at Sanghyuk and suddenly a lot of this makes sense. Wonshik is desperate almost, to help this girl because-

“You see yourself in her, don’t you?”

Wonshik only gives a simple nod, not answering the question, but it’s obvious. There’s something more to his story with Hakyeon but Sanghyuk doesn’t have to ask because Wonshik simply says, “She’s young. I was young when Hakyeon met me, too. I was stupid and- Well,  _ childish _ . I want to help her, I want her to live her life as best as she can and I know she didn’t do this, Han. I need your help.”

Sanghyuk meets his eyes, giving him a curt nod. He’ll help as best as he can, wherever he can. He doesn’t owe Wonshik anything but the lawyer extends his hand, a deal made between them when they shake on it.

“I want to win this case,” Wonshik says to him, his eyes suddenly a lot older than he actually is. This isn’t the first time Wonshik has trusted someone like this and he fears the worst. Sanghyuk can tell he has a pessimistic nature.

“I know,” Sanghyuk answers, letting his hand go slowly. “I’ll see what I can find. I’ll let you know, DA Kim.”

“Call me Wonshik,” the lawyer answers, turning away from him to hide his smile. “Please, I’d much rather that. DA Kim makes me feel-”

“Old?”

Wonshik purses his lips before pressing them together, shaking his head at the comment. He doesn’t reply, which is smart, opting to ignore the jab and Sanghyuk takes the file with him to return back to the precinct. He waves, earning a small smile from Wonshik that makes his chest tighten a little. 

He regrets his earlier… jealousy? toward Wonshik. He's a nice guy and Sanghyuk never had an issue with him when it came to Taekwoon. He and Hakyeon obviously care for each other and he's seen way too much of his and Taekwoon’s relationship to not think he's a sweetheart. Sanghyuk decides he’ll ask for Wonshik’s number from Hakyeon to message him about this case if he needs to as well as eventually clear the air between them.

Hakyeon is at his desk when he returns to the precinct, looking up at him with a smile that makes Sanghyuk smile back at him easily. What was he thinking about? He's completely forgotten. Hakyeon seems to do that a lot to him as of late and he’s starting to realise it.

“I need hyung’s number,” he blurts, his thoughts coming back to him instead of Hakyeon’s bright eyes that are looking up at him since he's leaning on Sanghyuk’s desk, making him a lot shorter than usual.

“Taekwoon’s?” is Hakyeon’s question, his eyebrows furrowing. “I would think that you have-”

“No, DA Kim’s,” Sanghyuk interrupts, handing him the file. “I’m working on Jeongha’s case.”

Hakyeon is slow in his reading, his fingers delicate on the pages as he carefully flicks through the information. He always careful, precise with what he does. “I remember this… She's already serving her time because they could never convict the real murderer.” 

Sanghyuk steps closer to Hakyeon, making his partner look up at him quickly and it’s striking that Hakyeon looks beautiful just looking at an old case. He doesn't say anything, letting Hakyeon speak. It’s late and many officers are starting to pack up to head home, Hyungwon being one of the first to leave with his jacket flowing out behind him.

“I fucked this case up bad, Han,” Hakyeon admits, slumping into the desk further. His eyes hold more stories than he’ll ever share with Sanghyuk but at least one of the gates is open right now, to show Sanghyuk his vulnerability. “Jeongha would barely speak to anyone and I couldn't do anything to prove her innocence at the time. She wouldn't talk and I know someone else did it but at the time, my superior officer pressured me to lock her up because of her drug arrests.”

“That's what she's serving,” Sanghyuk tells him, pointing out the line in the file. “If Wonshik-hyung can represent her, he's going to get the charges of first degree murder dropped. She admitted to the drugs and received a sentence of three years and she's served two of those.” 

Hakyeon is quiet, his eyes glassy. He never stopped being regretful of this case it seems and judging by the way Wonshik spoke about Jeongha, they're quite close. But evidence suggests that Hakyeon has never spoken to Jeongha since the incident. Sanghyuk doesn’t need to pry to know that information.

“Cha, if we get her out, she’ll never have served the murder charges,” Sanghyuk says carefully. “She’ll be in for another year and that's all. That's why we want to fix this, so she doesn't have to keep suffering. You both can get the closure you need.”

Hakyeon swallows, his eyes elsewhere before he gives a small nod. He closes the case file slowly and a shiver passes through him but he eases into Sanghyuk’s hand on his shoulder, glancing up at him. “I want to fix this,” he whispers and all Sanghyuk can do is nod, giving him a small smile.

“That’s what we can do, hyung. Jeongha’s ready now, and I think she wants to-”

“No, not me,” Hakyeon interrupts, shaking his head. “She’ll talk to you. You’re young and if you keep my name out of it, then she’ll probably tell you. She hates me, Han.” He meets Sanghyuk’s eyes and it surprises him how scared his partner looks, tears glistening in his eyes. “I don’t want to make her feel- She won’t talk to me and I can’t-”

Sanghyuk takes his wrist, grabbing the case file and pulling Hakyeon outside to the small balcony of their precinct, since it’s on the second floor. Hakyeon lets the tears fall freely once they’re away from their squad but silently, his hands against his face to shield what he doesn’t want to show Sanghyuk. 

Sanghyuk shuts the door and takes his hands away from his face, making Hakyeon look at him. “Cha, this isn’t about you,” he says quietly, trying to calm him down. “I’m sorry, but it’s about Jeongha. She doesn’t trust you because she’s been hurt but she’s not stupid.”

“I know,” Hakyeon manages, shaking his head as his tears begin to slow. HIs lashes hold what won’t fall and he looks away, his vision undoubtedly blurry. “I just don’t- I want to make this right. H-Han, I want-”

“Hyuk,” Sanghyuk urges, shaking his hands a little to distract him from wiping his face. He grins at him, his partner’s cheeks pinking. “Please call me Hyuk.”

Hakyeon swallows audibly, nodding a few times before he manages a steady breath. He nods again, looking up at Sanghyuk. Sanghyuk smears his tears across his face, making him laugh as his face gets squished and shifted, his cheeks easy to move because of how round they are.

“Now, stop crying.” Sanghyuk wipes his hand on Hakyeon’s shirt and his partner doesn’t do anything to stop him, going limp in his grasp. “You’re too much a legend to cry on a balcony of a precinct.”

Hakyeon snorts suddenly, shaking his head at him. He holds his fist up and hits Sanghyuk’s chest lightly, lowering his head and it’s ironically perfect the way Hakyeon’s head fits into Sanghyuk’s shoulder, tucked away and protected. He’s older but Sanghyuk is the one taking care of him now, holding him close, his arms circling around his shoulders.

“Do you think it will work out?” Hakyeon whispers and Sanghyuk hums, rocking him slightly. He kisses the top of Hakyeon’s head, hiding his smile in his hair when Hakyeon huffs a small laugh, wrapping his arms around Sanghyuk’s waist.

“It’ll work out.”

***

“I swear to fucking God, if you have a question, go somewhere else!”

“Okay, let’s not do that.” Sanghyuk stands up quickly, pulling Wonshik away from his desk before he can scream at another one of his interns. The DA moves his shoulder out of Sanghyuk’s grasp, snapping at him to let him go and throwing himself into the couch in the break room. He crosses his arms, keeping close to himself and shakes his head, his legs moving erratically.

“I’m calling Cha,” Sanghyuk says, pulling out his phone. “You need to calm down.”

Wonshik doesn’t answer him, looking at his hands. He sniffs once before finally glancing up at Sanghyuk. “I do. But hyung won’t do that for me.”

He’s stressed and Sanghyuk doesn’t have to be a detective to be able to conclude that. Wonshik’s hair is tied up and his eyes are sunken in and heavy. He’s tired, he’s always tired, how could someone not be when they’re a lawyer but Wonshik never seems to let things affect him for long, handling what he can and moving through as best as he can. If Sanghyuk knows that in the short time that they’ve actually worked together, then he doubts it’s far from the truth.

“I need to meet with Jeongha,” Sanghyuk tells him, the lawyer waving him off. “Stay here. Don’t do anything until I’m back.”

Hakyeon is parking his bike when Sanghyuk meets him downstairs, swallowing his pride when Sanghyuk tells him where they’re going. He nods in affirmation, following Sanghyuk to his car and he’s quiet when they leave, his mind elsewhere and his eyes unfocused.

Sanghyuk parks as quickly as he can and turns to him before Hakyeon can get away from him and looks into his eyes, surprised to find fear there but it makes sense. “Do you want to do this?” he asks softly, rubbing Hakyeon’s shoulder. If it truly makes him so uncomfortable, he can stay outside while Sanghyuk talks to Jeongha. Sanghyuk wasn’t there for the original case and he needs Jeongha to explain her side again, in case there’s something they missed the first time around.

Hakyeon’s lips part but he ends up licking them, looking away but he comes right back, meeting at Sanghyuk straight on. “I’ll do it. If there’s any chance she can forgive me, then I’ll do it. She deserves better than me and I’m better than what I was when I first met her.”

“She knows you and DA Kim are close, I think,” Sanghyuk says, stepping out of the car with Hakyeon. “I need to speak to her, and I’m the leading detective on this case, so keep your grievances of the original case to yourself, okay?”

His partner bites his cheek and nods once, confirming. They head up in silence and when he opens the door to Jeongha, she looks up at him and glares, raising her eyebrow. She’s young, Sanghyuk already knew that but she’s  _ young _ and it’s almost scary to see someone younger than him in this position, her red jumpsuit on and her hands cuffed to the table because her file is stamped with  _ dangerous _ underneath her photo and it makes Sanghyuk sick.

“Hi, Miss Ahn,” he greets, sitting down quickly, making himself comfortable. “My name is Detective Han Sanghyuk, we met a few days ago. I’m handling your case.”

“So you can fuck it up and keep me in here?” she retorts, smirking at him. She glances around, most likely looking for Wonshik. “I’ve had enough of boys thinking they can save me. You can’t do anything someone hasn’t already tried. I’m done,  _ Han.” _

Sanghyuk knew she’d be aggressive but he didn’t think it would be this bad. Even then, he can’t even be upset because she’s the one serving jail time for a crime she didn’t commit. If they don’t solve this and find the real killer, Jeongha will spend the next thirty years in here and they both won’t be as young as they are now by the time she gets out.

“Detective Cha made a mistake,” Sanghyuk offers, earning a snort from Jeongha. “He fucked up, let’s put it like that.” There’s a smack against the one sided glass but Sanghyuk smiles at the reaction. “You can cuss him out all you want, Miss Ahn. He knows what he did and the only thing I can offer you now is a chance to fix his fuck up.”

“Girls always have to fix the fuck ups men create,” Jeongha says, but it’s a statement rather than a jab. Sanghyuk agrees with her, sadly. 

“I know you didn’t do it,” he tells her softly, leaning forward onto the table, lacing his fingers together. “You’ve been trying to convince people of that fact for almost three years. I want to do right by you and by the law and get you out of here but I can’t do it without your help. We have to work together, right?”

Jeongha levels him with her fiery gaze, relaxed in her chair but she’s on guard. She’s been betrayed too many times by people who she thought she could trust. “What’s in it for me? You seem to just be correcting your superior’s fuck up.” She laughs, shaking her head. “That’s all this is, right? A pity case?”

Sanghyuk meets her gaze and smiles a little. “You don’t want my pity,” he answers and her face drops; he knows she’s listening. “Cha is my partner and technically, I am fixing his fuck up. But I need your help to prove to everyone that you’re innocent. You’re strong, I know that. DA Kim and I want to get you out of here and I know we can. I need you to trust us.”

“Look where trusting people got me,” Jeongha snaps, gesturing to the room around them. “I’m sick of giving myself to people just for them to throw me away when they’re done. I fucking hate being in here but it means no one else out there can  _ hurt _ me.”

She seems to realise what she just hinted at, her gaze dropping immediately. She curses to herself and shakes her head and Sanghyuk takes his chance now to unlock her cuffs because there’s no threat in this room. The intercom comes on, one of the observing officers telling him he  _ can’t do that _ but he drops the chains on the floor and looks at Jeongha, meeting her wide eyes.

“I’m still learning,” he confesses, his eyes wide like hers. “I’m still really young. That’s the reason Cha is even working with me, because I don’t know shit. But I want to help you and I know I can but I know that  _ you _ are the only one that can help yourself right now. Miss Ahn-”

“Jeongha,” she interrupts, meeting his gaze and lifting her chin.

Sanghyuk smiles at her, offering his hand. “Hyuk.” When she shakes his hand, firm and strong, he taps her file. “Are we going to be a team?”

“Yeah,” she nods, leaning forward and taking the file from him. “Yeah, we’re gonna be a team.”

Their hour passes quickly and Sanghyuk schedules another meeting on the spot when Jeongha is cuffed again, smiling at her. She tries to return it but her freedom is short lived with him and they both know the deadline they’re on. Hakyeon meets him outside, going still when the guards take Jeongha past him.

She stops, making the guards struggle with her for a second but Hakyeon dismisses them easily. Jeongha’s hands are behind her back, she can’t do anything to attack him even if she wanted to and Hakyeon will take anything she throws at him because it’s his fault she’s even in here.

“Hello, Miss Ahn,” he says, his voice shaky.

Jeongha stares at him for a moment before she relaxes her shoulders, her lips forming a small smile. “Hello, detective Cha. I’ll see you on Friday.”

Hakyeon’s eyes widen but he tries to hide it by lifting his eyebrows and giving her a nod. She’s escorted back to her cell and Hakyeon turns to Sanghyuk, his eyes wide but he just laughs, smiling. Sanghyuk doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal but Hakyeon shakes his head before he can even ask the question.

“She’s never called me by my name before,” he admits, his hands on Sanghyuk’s arms to keep him there. “Not once. She never said it to Wonshik, either.”

Sanghyuk smiles at him, lifting his hands to Hakyeon’s arms and holding onto them. He doesn’t say anything because Hakyeon is ecstatic and he has nothing to comment on so he just hugs him, letting Hakyeon laugh breathlessly in relief, squirming in his hold but not pulling away. Sanghyuk rests his cheek against the side of Hakyeon’s head, smiling softly. A few officers watch them and Sanghyuk eases Hakyeon’s arms away from him, giving him a small smile in reassurance when his partner glances at him, his cheeks pink.

It’s only when they get back tino the car, minutes away from the DA’s office that Hakyeon thanks him, his eyes on the highway ahead. Sanghyuk frowns at him, opening his mouth but looking back at the road before he loses control of his car from the confusion.

“Why are you thanking me?” he questions, shaking his head. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You pushed.”

Hakyeon doesn’t look at him again until the car is parked and his eyes hold a lot more than he’s letting on. Sanghyuk stops him, taking his hand just to squeeze it and Hakyeon tenses, glancing down. He meets Sanghyuk’s eyes, the two of them staring at each other for a few moments before he squeezes back, dropping the grasp as he heads for Wonshik’s office.

The DA looks up from his computer when they step inside, shutting the door. Hakyeon purses his lips when Wonshik leans back, relaxed in his chair with his pen in his hand, flicking it around his fingers. He raises his eyebrows, prompting them to speak without words.

“She’s going to work with us,” Sanghyuk smirks and Wonshik stops his pen, screwing his fists together and yelling  _ Yes! _ , making Hakyeon smile to himself, his eyes on his shoes. 

“Thank you, both of you.” He’s never seen Wonshik smile like this before, his hand in his hands. He’s relieved, more than anything. Hakyeon hands over the file and lets Wonshik go over it again, with the help of Sanghyuk’s notes from their session. He dismisses them even though they have the higher rank but it’s good enough for Sanghyuk. He doesn’t have work to do after this and he lets his precinct know he’s not coming back for the night.

He drops Hakyeon at the precinct when he asks, stepping out but Sanghyuk stops him again, smiling at him. His partner turns around, his hands in his jacket pockets and he spins for him, showing off before he walks up to the window.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sanghyuk tells him, letting Hakyeon accept the comment and nod, taking refuge in his reassurance. The urge to take care of him, to hold him and let him sleep is making him a little crazy but he keeps to himself, dropping his gaze to Hakyeon’s hands on his car door. “Take care of yourself. Goodnight, hyung.”

“Goodnight, Hyuk,” he answers, pulling away from the window slowly. He walks back into the precinct without turning around and Sanghyuk decides it’s better for him to catch up on sleep tonight for the both of them. His feelings are confusing him and it’s becoming clear what he really wants.

  
He just doesn’t know what he wants to  _ do _ , or how he wants to achieve it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thi sis a little bit of a filler chapter... the next will be a little heavy so i hope this one is nice and lightheart for yall


	8. fears

**Taekwoon Hyung**

_ What are you getting for Hakyeon? _

**Han**

_ What _

**Taekwoon Hyung**

_ It’s his birthday soon. Did you not know? _

**Han**

_ I’m genuinely impressed with myself that I remember yours. _

_ Of course I didn’t know. I don’t even know Bin hyungs _

**Taekwoon Hyung**

_ You’re hopeless, have I ever told you that? _

_ And it’s the 29th of september, in case you were curious. Hakyeon’s is the 30th of June _

  
  
  


“Hakyeon-hyung is going to be thirty fucking five?!”

Sanghyuk startles at Hongbin’s voice in his ear, surprised that his friend is actually shocked. He should know that, shouldn’t he? Hongbin knows just about everything about everyone, so shouldn’t he already know the ages of his co-workers, at the very least? And why- 

“Why are you on this floor?” he asks and Hongbin shakes his head at his phone, his eyes wide.

“Because Hakyeon-hyung is thirty fucking five, dude.”

“You already said that. You should have already  _ known _ that.”

“Did you?” Hongbin questions, cocking his head at him and he smirks at him when Sanghyuk doesn’t respond accordingly. He didn’t know exactly how old his partner was but he knew he was in his thirties. Hell,  _ Hongbin _ is in his thirties and when you’re the youngest, you tend to forget everyone’s exact ages because it all narrows down to them simply being older and Sanghyuk has to respect that.

Hongbin sits down in the chair next to Sanghyuk’s desk, scrolling through the emails on his phone and it makes him feel sick when Hongbin closes the app and the red number is well over two thousand.

“Read your fucking emails,  _ dude _ ,” Sanghyuk says, earning a smirk from Hongbin. He crosses his legs quickly and leans back in his chair, staring at Sanghyuk for a moment before he smiles. 

“You like him, don’t you?”

“I hate you, but you know that.”

“If you hated me, it’d be because I made you feel that way. And I know how to make people like me.”

“You also know how to intrude on people and their workplace,” Sanghyuk hisses, flicking through the paperwork in front of him so he can file it later. “What do you want, hyung?”

“Please admit it.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use the word ‘please’.”

“Yeah,” Hongbin laughs, pushing his glasses up. “I learnt it yesterday. I don’t really get why people use it, though. Seems unnecessary.” Hongbin mocks Sanghyuk’s glare before he smiles and puts his hands behind his head, relaxing and Hakyeon comes out of the captain’s office, pulling on his motorbike jacket and walking out of the precinct, a case file in his hand.

Hongbin watches him go before he whistles one consistent note. “He really is legendary. It’s a shame he won’t be with us for much longer.”

“Why, are you planning to kill him?” Sanghyuk snorts. “You shouldn’t admit that in a police precinct.”

Hongbin laughs suddenly, leaning forward and uncrossing his legs. “That’s cute, but no, that’s not what I meant. You know how his contract ends at the end of the year? It’s just annoying, I guess, that we lose him as soon as we get him.”

Sanghyuk stops typing, his fingers freezing. “What did you just say?”

Hongbin looks at him in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing. “Cha’s contract? It expires in November… He only has a year with us.” His eyes widen and for the first time in all the time that Sanghyuk has known him, Hongbin looks  _ scared _ . Like he just outed a secret that didn’t belong to him; he just did, and Sanghyuk feels hi blood turning to ice. “Did you… Did you not know?”

Sanghyuk takes a breath and looks at his computer, slowly moving his mouse to keep himself busy. His… contract. Of course he’d have a limited time here, it’s not like there aren’t other precincts that would want someone like Hakyeon. It all makes sense, it makes so much logical sense but Sanghyuk can’t tell that to his brain that’s making him envious and ugly, making him want to throw a tantrum like a child but that’s exactly what people think he is. That’s the whole  _ reason _ Hakyeon was brought here in the first place.

“No,” he breathes eventually, biting his cheek. “I didn’t know.”

Hongbin tries to diffuse the situation but Sanghyuk dismisses him quite quickly and out of everyone he could speak to about this, he messages Taekwoon and asks if he can come over tonight because Taekwoon is the source of this, this whole mentorship even happening and he knows, selfishly, that Taekwoon doesn’t have it in him to lie to him and he definitely won’t lie to him face to face. 

It’s making him crazy just thinking about it but of course Hakyeon would be leaving.

_ Uh, yeah, you can come over? Is everything okay?  _ is Taekwoon’s reply and Sanghyuk feels sick looking at that. This shouldn’t a big deal but with Sanghyuk’s high school crush on his partner, it definitely doesn’t help and he needs to tell someone about it because if Hongbin of all fucking people can tell something is up, then he really has to question how obvious he’s being. That, on top of this deadline on Hakyeon’s mentorship, is fucking with his head.

Sanghyuk doesn’t see Hakyeon for the rest of the day but Hongbin tries to speak to him again but he shuts him down quickly. “I need to speak to Taekwoon-hyung,” he tells Hongbin and the cyber captain tries to say something but settles for a nod. 

Taekwoon isn’t a detective because he felt like he’d be good at it. When he opens the door for Sanghyuk, he immediately senses the tension and he somehow knows it’s directed at him. He invites Sanghyuk in quickly and sits down at the table with him, folding his arms slowly. Sanghyuk doesn’t waste his time and asks him why the contract never came up and Taekwoon sighs.

“I didn’t want you to put a deadline on this,” the older detective says slowly, answering Sanghyuk’s suspicions. “I knew you’d hate the idea of mentorship, and I was right. You barely wanted to work with him in the first place. I didn’t want to tell you because I wanted you to grow with Hakyeon and learn  _ with _ him, rather than scraping by for a year, avoiding being properly mentored and then dismissing him.”

“You really think I’d do that?” Sanghyuk asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I know that I have things to learn. It seems like you don’t have a lot of faith in me. And that hurts more than you lying to me.”

“It wasn’t a lie,” Taekwoon offers, meeting his eyes bravely,  _ coldly _ . “I avoided the truth. There’s a difference. You should know that.”

And that sets Sanghyuk off; the little indirect jabs at him being younger, at him being less experienced. “I know there is! Don’t treat me like I don’t fucking know anything!” He loves Taekwoon and he expected a lot better from him but once again, he was naive to think he could trust him completely without receiving the pity. It makes him feel sick that they’ve turned on each other.

Taekwoon looks down, blinking slowly for a few moments before he looks back at Sanghyuk, his eyes steely and guarded. “What do you want me to say to you, Sanghyuk?”

“Don’t full name me,” Sanghyuk snaps, scowling at him. God, he’s going to regret this conversation once it’s finished. “You hid this from me.  _ You _ of all people hid this from me. And you’ve hurt me.”

“I’m sorry,” Taekwoon breathes but that’s just what Sanghyuk wants to hear so he shakes his hand and stands up, snatching his keys from the table.

“No, you can think about this. Let it fester. Because I’m not done being angry.” Sanghyuk’s voice is final. “It’s not even solely your fault, but I’m not letting you get away with this because it’s not directly about you. So, let it stew.” He clenches his hand around his keys just to feel them bite into his skin. “Don’t call me.”

Taekwoon doesn’t follow him out but Sanghyuk sees him lower his head to his hands just before he slams the door and goes home, leaving a message for his precinct that something personal has come up. He needs time to process this and he especially needs time to figure out how he’s going to bring this up to Hakyeon.

Should he even bring it up to Hakyeon? Technically, it’s not his business. But it affects him, so if he doesn’t talk about it, then what is he supposed to do? Why did he make this his problem?

Sanghyuk sits in his car park, staring blankly ahead before it hits him and makes him feel sick. He’s selfish, he’s always known that but he’s afraid, if anything, because he doesn’t want Hakyeon to  _ leave.  _ Once this year is up, Hakyeon will be gone. Hakyeon will be gone because that’s what contracts are. Logically and realistically, he knows that. But he’s naive enough that he tricked himself into thinking this would last for a long time, somehow. He doesn't want Hakyeon to leave but sure enough, everyone leaves in the end.

This isn’t Hakyeon’s fault, but why did he hide it? And now, Sanghyuk is spiraling because he can’t predict the future and he doesn’t know what will happen after this year is up. And if he tells Hakyeon how he feels, it won’t do anything. There’s no fucking point to anything he ever thought about planning. Because Hakyeon will leave and that will be that.

Sanghyuk slams his hands on the wheel, pressing the horn of his car and he stops when he starts crying because he’s pathetic. He;s always been pathetic.

Sanghyuk laughs at himself as the tears slip down his cheeks. He’ll always be a naive little boy, just like Taekwoon thinks he is.

Sanghyuk feels like he’s eleven again.

  
  


***

“Are you afraid to die?”

Taekwoon snorts at Jaehwan’s comment, blinking at him before he realises he’s serious. He parts his full lips before he frowns, glancing at Sanghyuk. “Well, I think that everyone is afraid to die.”

Initially, Sanghyuk doesn’t comment until Jaehwan looks at him and asks him what he’s afraid of it. It’s a nightshift, they’re the only one here as Taekwoon needs Jaehwan to run some DNA from one of his cases. It’s Sanghyuk’s full length undercover case, too. He doesn't have much to do let alone many people to speak to during these shifts, so a conversation with Jaehwan is as much entertainment as he's going to get right now.

“I’m afraid of going missing,” Sanghyuk confesses, leaning back against the door frame. His tone is casual but the statement is anything but. 

Taekwoon glances at him but doesn’t comment, leaving Jaehwan to glance between them in confusion but he does nod along. Jaehwan doesn’t know the reason why he’s afraid, no one besides Taekwoon and his captain do, but when they’re sitting back at their desks, Taekwoon pauses.

“How old was she?” he asks softly, his eyes open and inviting. If Sanghyuk had been older, he doubts he’d tell Taekwoon the answer he wants to know. But it's late and they won't get much further if they don't talk.

“Fourteen. I was eleven.”

Taekwoon nods, no further comment but he does look at him again, before smiling. “Thank you for telling me. I didn't mean anything rude."

"It's fine," Sanghyuk returns, tucking himself into his desk.

Taekwoon doesn't speak for a few minutes, leaving them in a comfortable silence but he ruins it when he asks, "Hyuk, have you ever been in love?” It's random but if it gets the topic off his personal life, then he'll take it.

“What does that have to do with anything?” he retorts, scowling. “Have you? Why is this about me?”

“I’m just curious. I don’t know much about you, that’s all.” He types something into his computer, not looking and it makes Sanghyuk raise his eyebrow. “What kind of people are you interested in?”

“What are you interested in?” Sanghyuk fires back, knowing he’s being disrespectful but he doesn’t care much.

“Deep voices,” Taekwoon replies, smirking at his computer. “Now you know.”

Sanghyuk already concluded that about Taekwoon. He’s not too much different from him but he’s not exactly ready to come out to his whole precinct out of nowhere. “Good to know,” he replies, managing a smile. He doesn’t give Taekwoon much more than that but over the years together, he’s learnt a lot from him.

Jaehwan’s been with him this whole time, at this precinct. Same with Hongbin. They’re the ones he’s known the longest, as well as Sungjae from downstairs. It’s been comfortable for Sanghyuk to settle in, and it’s good that he’s warming up to Taekwoon. He had been worried that he wouldn’t get along with people, that he would be too afraid to speak his mind against his superiors but a lot of people are equal here and Sanghyuk is grateful for it.

“I’ll learn more about you soon enough,” Taekwoon comments, and Sanghyuk licks his lips, shaking his head.

“Sure you will, hyung.” 

He likes his partner, it would seem.

***

Sanghyuk is avoiding him.

Hakyeon didn’t notice it at first, admittedly. He figured that Sanghyuk looking tired was because he had been out late or just hadn’t gotten any sleep, which isn’t uncommon for anyone in their line of work. When he ignored Hakyeon’s greeting and his offer of morning coffee, Hakyeon hadn’t questioned it much. Sanghyuk wasn’t looking his best, so it’s obvious that he was tired. Hakyeon figured he just needed space.

But Sanghyuk won’t even look at him. His eyes are tired, rimmed with dark circles and it’s been two days now, since they’ve spoken a word to each other. It feels petty, Hakyeon thinks. He doesn’t recall if he’s done anything wrong, honestly, and he’s usually pretty good with what he says. Is it really his fault?

He racks his brain with what he could have done when Sanghyuk stands up suddenly, disappearing down the hall in search of the bathroom. His chair rolls out behind him and Hakyeon almost follows him, to ask what the hell is going on but he feels like that’s a cop out. That’s like if he just asked a murderer to confess, point blank. It’s not how this line of work…  _ works _ . He’s a detective, so he should be able to figure out what’s troubling Sanghyuk.

But before he can do anything, he gets forwarded a case from his informant, scanning it as a way to distract himself. He sends it to his captain to get clearance to head out and work it and she comes out of her office right as Sanghyuk returns, pointing at him. He has it in him to glare at her but she matches his gaze easily.

“Go with Cha,” she commands, nodding her head to Hakyeon. “There’s a new case he has. Whatever the hell is going on with you, you need to get over it. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Sanghyuk blinks at her, his skin paling and he opens his mouth to protest but stops himself, his ears twitch as he relaxes his face, his expression morphing into something  _ cold _ . But their captain catches him before he can say anything, her eyebrow cocking.

“Don’t you dare make a scene here, Han. Discuss this in private. Handle it like adults.”

Sanghyuk grunts, not bothering to grab his jacket as he leaves the precinct. His holsters are always on, settling snugly over his broad shoulders with his guns at his ribs and Hakyeon secures his gun before following after him. 

He opts to get in front of Sanghyuk, to take his motorcycle but his partner stops him, his hand on his elbow and it almost  _ hurts _ . He’s not really in the mood to have this conversation because this is Sanghyuk’s problem, it seems, and he wants to make it Hakyeon’s problem now.

“Let  _ go _ ,” Hakyeon snaps, because that’s the final straw for him. Sanghyuk is being unreasonable, petty and childish, ignoring him for two days straight but  _ now _ he wants to talk? Hakyeon’s going to have to teach him some damn manners. “What is it, Hyuk? Suddenly now is a good time to stop ignoring me?”

Sanghyuk scowls at him. “I wasn’t-” His partner inhales suddenly, trying to keep his cool and closes his eyes for a moment, opening them slowly. “I wasn’t ignoring you.

“Sort of seems like you have been,” Hakyeon retorts, snatching his arm out of Sanghyuk’s grasp. 

He at least looks sorry for grabbing him and Sanghyuk swallows, his lips parting nervously. “I’ve… been thinking. I’m sorry, for ignoring you.” He meets Hakyeon’s eyes, his own wide. “But when were you going to tell me about your contract expiring?”

Hakyeon blinks at him, confused. His contract? “The captain and… Taekwoon knew,” he answers bluntly, frowning. Why is Sanghyuk bringing this up now? 

“I didn’t know.” Sanghyuk is trying his hardest to keep calm and Hakyeon feels his guilt creeping up his spine. He really should have told Sanghyuk, even more so now that they’re working so close together.

“I only have a year, here,” he offers, leaving himself open for Sanghyuk to criticise. Yes, he should be upset. He has every right to be. “Until November. That’s… That’s why I made the bet. But I figured Taekwoon would have told you, or that you would have searched.”

Sanghyuk pauses, staring at Hakyeon for what feels like eons. Hakyeon stares back because he doesn’t have the courage to look away from him, anticipating what Sanghyuk will do. Is he upset? Sometimes, he can’t even tell what Sanghyuk is thinking but at the same time, Hakyeon can figure it out because he knows his partner, he knows his habits and mannerisms. He’s still upset, but he’s shocked.

“Wait, so you didn’t tell me because you thought I knew?” 

“I thought you would have found my file…” Hakyeon says, glancing down. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it mattered. I didn’t want to tell you because… I didn’t want to think about it.”

“I still deserved to know,” Sanghyuk presses, crossing his arms. “I’m your partner. You’re mentoring me. That’s why I’m upset.”

Hakyeon looks around, trying to find somewhere for them to sit down so they’re not having this conversation in front of their precinct. But the next best thing is the gutter so Hakyeon sits down, patting the ground for Sanghyuk to sit down with him. “I get that, but it…” He sighs, shaking his head. “I wanted to do this and get the most out of it. I didn’t want anyone to know because then it would just be… all for nothing. Like, I’m doing this and having fun with it and working hard, but come November, it won’t matter.” 

He looks up at Sanghyuk, with pleading eyes to try and make him understand, even a little. “A year means nothing to detectives who have been here for a lot longer than I have. I wanted to make an impact, without being dismissed by a deadline I can’t control.”

He watches Sanghyuk’s expression as he thinks, looking away. He’s processing, he bites his cheek when he’s lost in thought and he does that now, just for a second before he looks back at Hakyeon. “I don’t want this to end in November. But… I would have lost it if you had just left and- and never come back. I don’t know if I’d forgive you for that.”

“How did you find out?” Hakyeon asks, shifting a little closer, hoping he’s being comforting. Sanghyuk doesn’t back away, but he does look elsewhere.

“Hongbin-hyung told me,” he answers. “He knows everything about everyone, so he brought it up because your birthday is coming up.”

“I thought you would have read my file,” Hakyeon repeats, prompting. He raises his eyebrows, trying to catch Sanghyuk’s gaze and the younger glances at him, his mouth twitching.

Sanghyuk shifts, shaking his head at the question. He looks young, blinking a few times before he sighs. “No, I… It’s in my cabinet because I asked for it from Hongbin but I never read it.” He rubs his forehead looking at Hakyeon. “It felt like I was invading your privacy by doing that. Not that I can say the same thing for Hongbin.”

Hakyeon laughs at him, stunned, before he reaches over and touches Sanghyuk’s face, moving quickly to hug him before the younger can protest. He pulls away quickly, because Sanghyuk is still upset and drops his arms by his side. “Thank you. That-” He laughs again, shaking his head. “That means a lot to me. A lot of people wouldn’t think like that.”

“Did you read my file?” Sanghyuk’s voice almost lost in the number of cars and officers that pull up to the gutter and step out. 

But Hakyeon shakes his head. He was given the option to, which he tells Sanghyuk, but he refused. “It felt like cheating,” he admits, reaching out again and rubbing Sanghyuk’s arm. “I wanted to know you from what you were willing to tell me.”

“I feel like shit for getting angry now,” Sanghyuk confesses, huffing a small laugh. He looks at Hakyeon, almost shyly, and Hakyeon pouts at him, studying his tired eyes.

“I should have told you,” he says, squeezing his arm. “I’m sorry you found out from someone else. I should have been the one to tell you.”

“I forgive you,” Sanghyuk answers, avoiding his eyes but not out of shame. “I’m sorry for ignoring you.” He scowls at himself, rolling his eyes. “God, Taekwoon-hyung was right. I am a child sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” Hakyeon agrees, slowly circling his arms around Sanghyuk’s shoulders. “But I forgive you, too. Thank you for confronting me.” He laughs, once. “This could have been a lot worse.” He can’t begin to think of how long Sanghyuk has been dealing with this, how long this could have been stewing.

Sanghyuk stills in his arms but hugs him back, tucking his face into his neck and Hakyeon buries his hand into Sanghyuk’s hair. He refuses to  _ coo _ at his partner but he honestly feels like he should. Sanghyuk makes him want to scoop him up and pamper him, to give him everything he asks for and it’s a little scary to him but he just likes to be held, like this, by Sanghyuk. It’s simple and comforting, peaceful for the both of them.

“We’ll figure it out,” Hakyeon says, pulling away slowly. “Trust me, okay? We can figure this all out. Just because my contract ends doesn’t mean I’ll just disappear.”

“You’re insane if you think I’d let you,” Sanghyuk huffs, his hand coming up to pat Hakyeon’s cheek. He chops his neck in reply, squinting at him but Sanghyuk grins, boyish and beautiful and Hakyeon feels like kissing him, squeezing his cheeks and smothering him. But he lets Sanghyuk walks away, and follows him to his car so they can finally get to work on the case assigned to them.

***

It’s the end of May and Sanghyuk knows Taekwoon is already planning for Hakyeon’s birthday. He feels like it’s too soon, even if it’s only three weeks after, but surely he can’t be the only one. He feels like they just had Jaehwan’s birthday, which was a month ago. They still have a few weeks until Hakyeon’s and in turn, Sanghyuk’s. But only Taekwoon and his captain know his birthday and probably Hongbin by now, since he regularly checks up on everyone’s files. 

But it’s Hakyeon’s day off today, Taekwoon texting him again to ask what Sanghyuk was going to get him, as well as Sanghyuk’s so he’s at home, trying to focus on a game that Hongbin lent him a few weeks ago. It’s a puzzle game and judging by the save files, Hongbin has played this many times. It’s nice to numb his brain for a while but he’s starting to get hungry, anyway. He’s still not on good speaking terms with Taekwoon… 

He’s never been good at cooking and texting Taekwoon isn’t much of an option right now but maybe Hongbin can help. He knows how to look for a recipe and often treats himself to nice food, so he’s Sanghyuk’s next best guess. Taekwoon usually sends him simple recipes through web pages with instructions that are so foolproof, even Sanghyuk can make something half decent out of it, so he figures Hongbin would do something similar. But no webpage comes, only a  _? _ in reply and Sanghyuk curses because he managed to text  _ Hakyeon. _

_ Sorry,  _ he writes but Hakyeon is already replying and there’s a series of questions about whether he has this vegetable or that kind of pepper and Sanghyuk laughs, responding accordingly. He doesn’t have a lot so he decides he has nothing better to do than to go grocery shopping and Hakyeon calls him as he’s walking out, making him sweat.

_ “I don’t trust your confidence, _ ” his partner says and he sounds strangely out of breath. They’ve never spoken over the phone and hearing Hakyeon’s voice is hurting his head. God, when did he turn into such a lovestruck boy?  _ “I have your address. I’ll come over in an hour or so.” _

“You don’t have to, I can survive,” Sanghyuk answers, unlocking his car. “It’s your day off.”

_ “It is, but it’s also yours and I have nothing to do after this, _ ” Hakyeon answers and Sanghyuk can tell he’s smiling. He doesn’t have the heart to turn him away so he agrees for him to come over in an hour, like he said.

He gets the ingredients that he’s told to get and Hakyeon steps through his door later that day, his hair considerably shorter and his skin is flushed. “Gym,” is all he says when Sanghyuk stares at him but that doesn’t explain his hair so Sanghyuk points to his own face, gesturing back to Hakyeon.

“Your hair,” he bluntly says and Hakyeon looks up at him from over the bar counter, his eyes open and inviting.

“What about it? I cut it.”

Sanghyuk swallows. “I can see that.”

“It’s not that much different from your hair, why are you being weird?”

“It suits you,” Sanghyuk blurts, staring at him and Hakyeon smiles, looking down at the cutting board he managed to find and laying out the dumpling cases.

“Thanks,” he says quietly, smirking. “You clean up nice when you want to, too.”

Sanghyuk looks down at his shirt and he’s only wearing a tanktop and shorts, a little underdressed compared to Hakyeon who is in all black, a t-shirt, sneakers and loose pants. His hair is a little wet but it’s from a shower, whatever body wash he used reaching Sanghyuk’s, surprisingly. It feels oddly domestic, but not like how he feels with Taekwoon’s family. Hakyeon makes himself fit in wherever he goes and it’s honestly a skill, a skill that makes Sanghyuk glad his partner has.

“Come here,” Hakyeon orders, gesturing to the bowl that he’s throwing pork mince, chives and seasoning into. “You’ve got big hands. Mix that together.”

“With my hands?”

Hakyeon snorts at him, as if Sanghyuk has just asked the dumbest question possible. “Yes, did you never help your other in the kitchen when you were younger?” 

“Not really,” he answers quietly. It was his sister that did and he tells Hakyeon that much, making his partner pause to listen to him but not look at him and he’s grateful for that.

“You’re the youngest, right?” Hakyeon asks, avoiding the direct topic. “So am I. I think you told me that a while ago.”

Sanghyuk hums. “Youngest of two.”

“I’m the youngest of four,” Hakyeon muses, setting up a small bowl of water for the dumplings. “Two sisters and one brother. All of them have kids and my brother is fourteen years older than me.”

“That’s like Taekwoon-hyung’s siblings,” Sanghyuk says, smiling. “His three sisters have a big age gap between him. Jaehwan-hyung doesn’t have that big of one with his brothers.” He likes talking about Taekwoon’s family but it makes him feel guilty, like he lost that privilege when they fought. He tries not to think about it too hard.

Hakyeon raises his eyebrows at that comment, glancing at him. “Oh, he has siblings? I thought he and Hongbin were only children.”

“No, Hongbin-hyung has two older sisters.”

“That’s… Actually, no, that makes sense.” Hakyeon shakes his head as he smiles to himself. “Hongbin can be such a damn brat sometimes. Wonshik has a younger sister so he never knew what it was like to get teased by someone older until he met me. But even then, his sister smacks him around like a fool.”

Sanghyuk likes this, the simplicity of conversation. He can tell Hakyeon wants to ask about his family but Sanghyuk rarely speaks about them, unless he desperately has to. Hakyeon knows he has a sister and that’s about it because he doesn’t need to know much else. But Sanghyuk turns to him and says, “My sister is three years older than me,” before he looks back down at the bowl of mince and moves it over to Hakyeon’s little crafting station.

Hakyeon blinks at the bowl before looking up at Sanghyuk and giving him a small smile. “Thank you for telling me,” he says and Sanghyuk stares at him in surprise but he looks down at his hands and turns to wash them, muttering  _ you’re welcome. _

“Is this normal?” is Sanghyuk’s next question, washing his hands slowly. “For you to do this?”

“To visit my partner and make them lunch?” Hakyeon snickers, looking over his shoulder and Sanghyuk swallows, trying to control his stupid heart. He goes through way too many emotions with Hakyeon and it’s confusing even if it is pleasant.

“Not always,” Hakyeon answers, humming. “I only do it for the special ones. You made the cut.”

“I’m so grateful,” Sanghyuk deadpans. But Hakyeon chuckling to himself is enough to make him grin, shaking off his hands and flicking the remaining water in Hakyeon’s face when he turns around to make him jump.

Lunch made by Hakyeon was always going to be good but for some reason, it’s even better since they’re together and Sanghyuk is a little confused as to why he needed this kind of company. The easy care that is Hakyeon makes him relaxed, makes him want to forget and let loose and he does so, eating as much as Hakyeon serves and more because Hakyeon is similar to every parent in that regard, encouraging him to eat and placing dumplings on his plate when he gets close to finishing.

“I’m good,” Sanghyuk manages when Hakyeon tries to put more side dishes on his plate which are all close to vanishing. “You need to eat too.”

“I am,” Hakyeon says and even the way he holds his damn chopsticks is elegant. Sanghyuk wants to mad but Hakyeon’s effortless charm is attractive and endearing at the same time, the domesticity of him making Sanghyuk want to draw closer and for once, he doesn’t halt the rush of butterflies that fill his stomach.

“You’re staring,” Hakyeon comments, smiling softly and Sanghyuk shrugs, not saying a word in return. He was and he’ll own it.

“You’re nice to look at,” Sanghyuk manages.

Hakyeon doesn’t seem bothered by the comment and his ears look pretty cute when they’re flushed with red. He glances up at Sanghyuk, finding him still looking at him and he sighs, shaking his head with a smile.

“Stop it,” he demands, raising his eyebrows. 

“Why?”

“I might just fall in love with you,” Hakyeon answers, teasing but Sanghyuk’s smile must have given something away because his partner looks down, licking his lips quickly. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah,” Sanghyuk agrees, picking another dumpling up and shoving it in his mouth. “I think I might be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK I KNOW THIS IS,, EH but this is sort of a filler chapter because the next one will be a lot longer as ill be covering both hakyeon and hyuk's birthdays in one go so that will be fun??
> 
> for now have this sort of angst but soft chasang and i promise you taekwoon is okay the next chapter will be good 
> 
> thank you all so much for reading this far i know i haven't given you much but this really be a slow burn so thank you for being patient with me


	9. birthdays

“Can you speak to Taekwoon?”

Sanghyuk slumps back into the couch in the breakroom, his bones turning to jelly as he pouts up at Hakyeon. His partner has his hands on his hips, his ironed white shirt pressed and pristine, tucked in and fitting him perfectly and Sanghyuk almost blurts his feelings out so that he doesn’t have to have this conversation about Taekwoon.

He doesn’t, of course, but he does sigh, staring up at Hakyeon. “Do I have to?”

“Yes,” he answers, smacking his knee. “ _ Today _ . You need to fix this.”

“Isn’t it your birthday in a week?” Sanghyuk asks, looking back down at his laptop on his lap. 

“Yes. So, I need you two to make nice so that it’s not weird as hell and I don’t have to deal with drunk Taekwoon slobbering all over Wonshik.”

“You’re going to have a party, then.” Sanghyuk doesn’t mean to sound cold, but Hakyeon senses it, and leans his head on Sanghyuk’s shoulder.

“Please, talk to Taekwoon.”

“And say what?” Sanghyuk fires back, ceasing his typing on his computer. “That I’m sorry? I am, but at the same time, I don’t know if he is.”

“Taekwoon loves you,” Hakyeon whispers, glancing up at him. “He does. I know he does, Hyuk.”

“I know that,” he answers, tapping his finger against one of the keys for a while, deleting what he’s accidentally typed. He leans his head on Hakyeon’s closing his eyes. “I’ll talk to him. Just… Is he okay?” He knows Taekwoon and Hakyeon talk a lot, so he’s not surprised that Hakyeon is asking him this. 

“He misses you,” Hakyeon says. They haven’t spoken for almost two weeks, since their fight, and Taekwoon is yet to call him like he asked. “He wants to talk. He… He told me what you said.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” He sighs, keeping his thoughts to himself. He watches Hakyeon’s hand move to grasp his and wonders just what the hell is going on between them but he doesn’t question it, taking what he selfishly wants from Hakyeon’s affection.

“I’ll talk to him,” Sanghyuk whispers, smiling when Hakyeon squeezes his hand. “You’re weird. You care way too much.”

“You like it.”

Sanghyuk doesn’t have the heart to tell him he’s right.

  
  


***

Sanghyuk has been nervous to speak to Taekwoon before, when he was just a recruit. It’s not out of the ordinary for someone to be intimidated by Taekwoon at first glance. He's tall, broad and his eyes definitely aren't soft when they're glaring at you from across the room. Sanghyuk got over his fear of speaking to to Taekwoon a long time ago but right now, he feels like he's twenty years old again and waiting for his superior officer to tell him why he fucked up their case by not bagging the evidence correctly.

He takes a breath, remembering why he’s here and knocks once before he opens Taekwoon’s apartment door, finding him in the living room, staring up at him from over the couch cushions. It’s a scene the two of them have played through so many times and they should know it by heart, but they never quite get their lines right and in this moment, they need another rehearsal. 

Taekwoon stands up slowly, brushing his hands on his pants nervously as he straightens. “Come sit with me,” he says, gesturing to the table. It’s more formal than sitting on the couch and chatting like a couple of old girlfriends. Sanghyuk isn't sure if he likes it or not.

But he does as he’s asked, sitting down and Taekwoon takes the chair near him, taking a breath before exhaling, puffing out his cheeks.

“Been a while,” the elder says and Sanghyuk hums, to show he’s listening. It’s silent for a while, like the time they spent apart (three weeks) is passing between them again, just in their awkward moment. But Taekwoon manages to blurt out, “Hyuk, I’m- I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

“Wow, that easy?” Sanghyuk laughs, in honest surprise. Taekwoon frowns at him but Sanghyuk waves his hand, dismissing him before he can question him. Taekwoon isn’t the only one in the wrong in this situation and Samghyuk knew that originally but was too blindsighted by his own stupid anger to let Taekwoon pass. “It wasn’t your story to tell me,” he says, licking his lips. “But you were right. If you had told me the end of the contract, I don’t think I would have gotten this far with Cha.”

Taekwoon sits in silence for a few more moments, processing but takes Sanghyuk’s hand, holding it with both of his and rests it against his forehead, pulling it up. He looks like he’s pleading, holding onto Sanghyuk like he’s a lifeline but they both know he won’t beg. He sighs instead, and Sanghyuk huffs a laugh at him, squeezing his hand back reassuringly.

“I’m sorry for everything,” Taekwoon breathes, not lifting his chin. “I know it’s stupid, and I should have told you. I’m the one that started this all, I set up the mentorship so I should have told you when it would end instead of trying to be your mother, or whatever.” He laughs suddenly and Sanghyuk feels his breath against his knuckles. “And now, you like him and I didn’t even tell you anything-”

“Woah, what?” Sanghyuk blinks at him, pulling down his hand to look at Taekwoon’s face. He lets him, blinking at him. “You- How did you figure that out?”

The elder stares at him before his face drops. “I’m a detective,” he deadpans. “Did you really-” He seals his lips shut, rethinking his further comment before opening his mouth again. “You don’t hide it that well. And Hakyeon gushes about you a lot. He’s really proud of you. It wasn't difficult to put it together, especially since Wonshik brought it up.”

Sanghyuk sighs but that solves the issue of him having to tell Taekwoon this. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, Taekwoon really is like a mother to him and he’s protective as all hell. But if Wonshik could tell then Sanghyuk really has some rethinking to do. Or he should just give up. Yeah, that option sounds much more appealing.

But instead of doing any of that, he leans his forehead against Taekwoon’s, feeling the need to be close to him just for a little while. Three weeks shouldn't matter that much but Taekwoon has missed him just as much and starts to smile immediately.

“I'll make you something,” he says and Sanghyuk finds himself chuckling at that, nodding along. 

“Will DA Kim be home tonight?” he tastes when Taekwoon stands up, reluctant to draw away from him completely.

Taekwoon snorts and shakes his head. “No. DA Kim has his own apartment and DA Kim has other commitments than his boyfriend.”

“Shame on him.”

Taekwoon laughs, meeting his eyes over the kitchen bar top smugly. Everything is okay between them now, and Sanghyuk smiles at him softly. “Isn't it?”

  
  


***

“That’s better, isn’t it?”

Sanghyuk turns at Hakyeon’s voice in his ear, looking at him blankly. His partner is carefree and pretty tonight like he usually is, comfortable where he sits next to Sanghyuk. He has a knack for planning things and trust him to plan his own birthday party like he’s done tonight, with minimal decorations and a lot of mixer drinks. He knows how to cater, that’s for sure, and a lot of people he knows from his days in the academy as well as work places are in his apartment, Sanghyuk and Taekwoon included. Wonshik is yet to show up but Sanghyuk knows he’ll show up soon or later. There’s no way he’d miss this.

“What’s better?” Sanghyuk asks softly, still looking at Hakyeon. His voice is barely louder than a whisper but Hakyeon hears him loud and clear.

Hakyeon smiles at him and if it were a different world, Sanghyuk would press his forehead against his. “You and Taekwoon aren’t weird with each other, so it’s better.” Hakyeon settles more into the couch, effectively slotting himself next to Sanghyuk and it doesn’t have to be deep if Sanghyuk throws his arm over the back of the couch, as an excuse to have it slip and rest over Hakyeon’s shoulder. He doesn’t seem to mind too much when he does so.

“Sungjae is nice,” Hakyeon comments, watching the man chat with his hyungs on the balcony. They’re loud, all joking around and messing with each other and Sungjae shoves Eunkwang a little too hard, making him fall into a chair as they all giggle to each other.

Sanghyuk finds himself nodding at that, taking a sip of his beer, leaving them in silence. Hakyeon stands up after a few moments because Jaehwan has only now just arrived with Wonshik behind him, holding the door open for him politely. Sanghyuk watches him go, noting that Hakyeon’s shirt fits his shoulders nicely, as do his pants and he rolls his eyes at his own obvious ogling. 

Sanghyuk knows Taekwoon is fast but he moves ridiculously fast through the apartment to greet Wonshik with a kiss at the door and the lawyer lights up at the sight of him, kissing him back as Hakyeon takes the shopping bags from his hands, emptying the ice bag into the sink. It apparently doesn’t matter where they are; they’ll always turn each other into sappy goopy messes and Sanghyuk scoffs at it. 

Hongbin steps out from the bathroom when he looks up, right into the dispersing crowd as people mill around and decides to throw himself into the couch next to Sanghyuk where Hakyeon was, attracting Hyungwon and Jaehwan immediately as Jaehwan greets them cheerily, swinging his legs over the side of the single couch.

“Thought you didn’t drink, hyung,” Hongbin muses at Jaehwan who has a cup of punch already in his hand. 

The doctor leans back in his chair, eyeing the contents of his beverage. “I dabble,” he concludes with a wink and Hongbin rolls his eyes. “You’re worse than everyone else here, so don’t try and interrogate me,  _ Lee _ .”

“Scary,” the cyber crime mocks, shaking his hands with his beer in his hand. “But Hyukkie, what’s this about you fighting with Taekwoon-hyung?”

“It was nothing,” Sanghyuk laughs, shaking his head as he stares at his lap. “Just a small falling out. I overreacted and he didn’t exactly help himself, so.”

“Awh, a family quarrel,” Hyungwon coos, sitting with his chin resting on his hands. “Isn’t that sweet? But seriously, what was it about? Because if you didn’t fight about your undying love for Cha and how in denial you are, then I need to be the one to slap you in the face.”

Jaehwan smacks Hyungwon’s leg because he’s the only one he can hit based on how close they’re sitting and that shuts him up. Hongbin sighs, looking away and Sanghyuk sinks back into the couch, pursing his lips in thoughts that he didn’t want to have tonight. Hyungwon knowing about his feelings isn’t a surprise; that man can’t keep his nose out of anything and he’s damn good at blackmail but if Jaehwan and Hongbin have it all figured out (Seriously, Hongbin of all people? Sanghyuk clearly has no idea how to keep it lowkey) then Sanghyuk really has no hope. 

“Should I bother telling him?” he asks casually, into the open air and Jaehwan looks back at him, concerned. His tone wasn’t hurt; it was exhausted more than anything but Jaehwan has always doted on him more than the usual hyung.

“I feel like it’s the only way to get over your feelings,” Jaehwan tells him, taking his hand quickly. 

Hakyeon walks past, giving them all a smile before he steps out onto the open balcony, letting Minhyuk wrap his arms around him as the boys outside slur out a happy birthday song. Eunkwang even leaves a sloppy kiss on Hakyeon’s cheek that makes them all wolf whistle like idiots.

“He’s leaving in November, right?” Hyungwon offers, his answer simple. “Hold out for another… what? Six months? They’ll probably die out by then.”

“They won’t,” Sanghyuk sighs, knowing for a fact that they won’t. It took him this long to admit he has feelings for Hakyeon and they’ll only keep getting better if this is just a surface. It’s driving him insane, how much he wishes Hakyeon would just fucking notice and how much their useless flirting is getting to him. He won’t force anything onto Hakyeon but if telling him is what gets them to  _ stop _ , then maybe it’s about time he started being an adult about things in his life and taking control.

“Not now,” Hongbin says when Sanghyuk probably has that glint in his eyes. “Wait until later. If it goes poorly, then you can just go home with people questioning why.”

“It’s his birthday,” Sanghyuk scowls, right at Hongbin. “I’m not stupid. No way am I going to make tonight about me.”

“But that’s so much fun,” Hyungwon drawls, standing up. It’s about time he got bored of the conversation and Sanghyuk’s suspicion is answered when he moves to the kitchen just to go on his phone and make Taekwoon and Wonshik uncomfortable and force them to move by staring at them.

Wonshik gets pulled outside soon enough and some others move back inside, shifting around and chatting between themselves. Taekwoon, Sungjae and Sanghyuk are squashed into the couch until Sanghyuk decides he needs to get the blood back into his legs. His seat is easily taken by Jaehwan so he can chat with Taekwoon, not having seen him in a while.

Outside, it’s warm, summer having blessed the air. It’s late enough that it’s not as hot as it would usually be but Sanghyuk still finds himself on the uncomfortable side, his beer assisting him in the cooling down that he wants. He’s about to finish it so he makes it last a little, feeling the blood come back to his legs but the beer making them lightweight. He thinks he might fall over and an uproar of shouts from inside, a cheering of sorts, startles him. 

He glances over his shoulder but it’s a mistake to do so because he meets Hakyeon’s gaze and looks away immediately, praying he won’t come outside but Hakyeon stands up and Sanghyuk sighs. The door slides open, Sanghyuk having closed it when he came out and Hakyeon is there, next to him and inviting him to the chairs around the side of the balcony.

“Are you alright?” Hakyeon asks him quickly, sitting down with him. He looks concerned and before Sanghyuk can answer, someone says the time and Eunkwang walks outside to say goodbye to Hakyeon. It’s coming close to one o’clock in the morning, something Sanghyuk didn’t realise until now. With Eunkwang leaving, he takes Sungjae and Minhyuk with him, the number of people inside the apartment dropping.

“Sorry,” Hakyeon says, the rest of the people inside, leaning back in his chair. “But you seem off. Are you okay?”

“I’ll tell you soon,” Sanghyuk says, finishing off his beer and leaving it on the glass table next to him. Wonshik is the next one outside and when he finds Hakyeon, he smiles at him. Hakyeon glances at Sanghyuk and nods, letting him know that they’ll talk about this later. It’s funny, the easy way that Wonshik talks to him before heading back inside as Hakyeon hasn’t eaten any of his cake.

Sanghyuk stands against the closed door of the balcony later, as Hyungwon and Hongbin leave together, Chansik driving them home as he’s had nothing for the night. Taekwoon and Wonshik leave as well and Jaehwan falls asleep in Hakyeon’s bed twenty minutes later. It’s almost too easy, the way that everyone seems to leave close to one another and how quickly Jaehwan ‘falls asleep’ if he even is asleep.

“Help me clean up,” Hakyeon asks Sanghyuk once the door is closed behind Ilhoon and Changsub. Sanghyuk nods, keeping his mouth closed but manages a smile at him, taking a few of the beer bottles on the kitchen bench. Hakyeon flicks on some music, cleaning up his longue room as the music starts up. It’s slow, peaceful and Sanghyuk looks up from the sink full of ice that’s quickly turning into a pool of water and takes a breath.

He looks at Hakyeon, watching him hum a little as he picks up some paper cups, one that Sanghyuk recognises as Jaehwan’s and he’s glad that the bedroom door is closed. He pauses for a little too long, because Hakyeon notices and looks at him, inviting him outside again without hesitation. He knows something is wrong.

“It’s July now,” he says, sitting down and Sanghyuk leans against the glass railing. “I feel like you didn’t want to tell me because it’s my birthday. But I really don’t care, honestly. Tell me what you want to tell me.”

“It’s not important,” Sanghyuk replies, cracking his ankle. “Seriously. If it was, I would have told you already.” He hates himself for lying but he really doesn’t want to have Hakyeon think about this, have it sit with him. This night is about him and Sanghyuk doesn’t want to ruin it with his feelings and make him uncomfortable.

Hakyeon stares at him for a few moments before taking a breath. “You’re a bad liar,” he says, drawing his legs in and Sanghyuk raises his brows, neither denying or agreeing. 

Hakyeon doesn’t push because he knows he won’t get anything out of Sanghyuk anymore. “Please tell me when you’re ready,” he asks of him, rather nicely. He stands up and all Sanghyuk has to offer him in return in a comforting embrace, one that Hakyeon accepts immediately. He hums, tucking himself into Sanghyuk’s shoulder and holding him close. They’ve done this a few times before and Sanghyuk is still glad that he can do this, that Hakyeon trusts him like this. Sanghyuk is grateful.

“Happy birthday, hyung,” he says, right into his partner’s hair and Hakyeon whispers  _ thank you,  _ a smile evident in his voice.

  
  


***

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell him,” Hyungwon says on the Monday morning at work, sitting at Sanghyuk’s desk for a change. 

Sanghyuk rolls his eyes, sick of this rinse and repeat action. “How do you know I didn’t tell him?” 

“Because you’re still bitchy. Why didn’t you tell him?” Hyungwon stares at him long enough, as if it will magically make Sanghyuk stand up and confess to Hakyeon who’s not even in the room right now. But it doesn’t, because this is real life and Sanghyuk has real life adult feelings that he chooses not to acknowledge. You know, like an adult.

“Hyung, why do you think I didn’t tell him?” he snaps back, clearly not in the mood for this conversation. 

Hyungwon seems to get the message fast enough and shrugs, standing up and leaving him alone for the time being. Sanghyuk takes a breath and tries to focus, feeling his chest start to loosen. Hopefully he get something done without people whining in his ears about things that aren’t his business.

Hakyeon returns around lunch time, looking exhausted and Sanghyuk asks him what’s wrong, to try and distract himself from his own thoughts and feelings. “Just work,” he says, sighing. “I went back to see Jeongha, too. Her case is going well, it’s just…” He takes another breath, averting his gaze nervously. “I don’t know. I have doubts, I guess, and it makes me feel awful for it.”

“Everyone has doubts,” Sanghyuk offers, looking him in the eye. “You can’t expect everything to go the way you want. If it did, there would be no order to anything. You have to take everything that comes your way.” If only he could take his own advice.

Hakyeon manages a small chuckle, his eyes still downcast. He really does look tired, ready to just go home and finish today off with a goodnight’s sleep. But he looks up at Sanghyuk, smiling softly and it makes his heart flutter stupidly. “You’re right. I’ll keep it in mind. I feel like I’m back in the academy and have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Jeongha is counting on you,” Sanghyuk tells him, meaning it to be reassuring. “She’s not easy to fool and she definitely wants nothing but the truth from you. I’ll come with next time, if you want?”

“I’d really like that.” Hakyeon’s voice is soft and all Sanghyuk can do is nod and try and keep his blush to himself. It’s been four days since Hakyeon’s birthday and he’s still thinking about how close he came to finally telling him. But it’s not the right time, somehow he knows it isn’t but it still makes him feel stupid. If not now, then when will be the right time? Sanghyuk is a little sick of waiting.

But the day passes slowly and Sanghyuk works into overtime. Only three people know why and though his captain tells him he should go home, he shakes his head as the nightstaff file in. He already messaged the girl that normally works at his desk during the night to stay home and since she recently got married, she deserves to spend a little time with her husband. 

But Hakyeon packs up and lingers at his desk for a while, confused as to why Sanghyuk isn’t going with him.

“I’ve got things to take care of,” he says quietly, glancing up at him. “I’ll be fine, seriously. Goodnight, hyung.” 

Hakyeon hesitates, his hand shaking as he holds it out but he pulls it back, dropping it. He eventually leaves, telling him to get some rest soon. But it doesn’t last long because once the clock hits two in the morning, his captain is essentially begging him to go home, to get some rest and take the day off if he needs to. Sanghyuk tries to ignore it, tries to insist that he’s okay, he’s just working to distract himself but they both know what he’s doing and it isn’t healthy.

“Han,” his captain urges, catching his gaze again when they’re in her office. “Come on. You need to go home. You can’t pretend this isn’t happening.”

Sanghyuk takes a breath and knows that she’s right, that he needs to accept that it’s his birthday and no amount of work is going to change that. But he wanted a distraction, something to keep him from glancing at the clock and making him think back. He supposes he got through it well enough but it’s still his birthday and it’s still two in the morning. 

Sanghyuk is twenty-nine today, and he hates it with every fibre of his being.

He pulls his bag over his shoulder and nods to the officers at the desks of his own familiar colleagues, not knowing many of their names. But that brings him comfort. They all know he’s a detective, and he knows they are too, but that’s as far as their relationships go. None of them know what today is to him and he’s grateful.

But he comes home to find something he didn’t expect and feels like vomiting when he recognises Hakyeon at his door, turning in a flurry when Sanghyuk accidentally makes the old floorboards creak under his weight. He doesn’t speak, he doesn’t trust himself to, really, and Hakyeon just stares and it’s disgusting, the way that his eyes  _ know _ . But admittedly, he’s only disgusted in himself, not in Taekwoon who most likely told him since Sanghyuk didn’t do a very good job of hiding how he was feeling.

“What is it?” he whispers and Hakyeon blinks at him, squaring his shoulders and taking a breath. It’s almost laughable at how nervous he is compared to Sanghyuk, who really just wants to give up.

“Why didn't you say it was your birthday?”

Hakyeon’s voice shocks him to his core, making his blood turn to ice. He genuinely sounds upset and Sanghyuk swallows, blinking his eyes dry.  _ Because no one cares? Because no one besides Hongbin and Taekwoon knows when his birthday is and he told them to never tell anyone about it?  _ What the hell can he say here-

But it dawns on him that none of this matters. He doesn't owe Hakyeon anything and he certainly won't  _ cry _ in front of him, like he almost did all those months ago in the bar. He looks down for a moment before he, very childishly, moves past him and unlocks his door, closing it in Hakyeon’s face.

“Sanghyuk!” his partner snaps in reply and that's all it takes for him to start crying, screaming at Hakyeon to  _ leave him the fuck alone _ . Hakyeon doesn't reply and Sanghyuk slides down the door by his back and holds his head in his hands, just he does every year around this time. Why does he fucking care? Why does he have to fucking care when Sanghyuk desperately wants someone to but doesn't at the same time? Why is Sanghyuk so fucking  _ lost _ ? His emotions have always fucking confused him and he never expresses them right. He hates when people pry but wants people to know. He hates talking about himself but it’s the only way for him to be comfortable in the information he shares. It’s a never ending cycle of push and pull and Sanghyuk is fucking exhausted from it.

“Hyukkie,” Hakyeon presses and the nickname hurts him but brings him comfort, too, in a very contradicting way. “Hyukkie, I want to know but if you don't want to tell me, then I understand. I know it’s hard for you.”

“You really don't,” he spits back, literally, and smears his slobber on the back of his hand. Everything is getting to him and he wants to vomit, wants to tear his hair out and have this all end. It’s been too long, too long since this all happened but it’s still haunting him and taking him apart from the inside out. He thought he was fine but it seems that his mind has to designate one day of the year to this torment for him to finally break.

“Maybe I don't,” Hakyeon says, pressing against the door. “Maybe… Maybe I won’t ever know what you mean but God, Hyukkie, I-” He takes a breath, shaky and Sanghyuk screws his eyes shut but it’s not enough to shut him out. “I really care about you. I care about you a lot and if-” He sighs heavily, pausing for a moment. “I want you to know that. I want to know what I can do.”

Sanghyuk leans his head against the door, pressing his head against the door before he smacks it. He has to open the door to turn Hakyeon away or bring him in but he knows what he’s going to do when he opens the door even though he hates it. He unlocks his deadbolt, looks down at Hakyeon with tears in his eyes and he can’t even swallow, his eyes puffy. 

Hakyeon looks a mess too, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open but he stands up and Sanghyuk stares at him, tear tracks visible on his face and Hakyeon’s hands reach up to his cheeks but they don’t stop. Hakyeon hugs people and makes them belong, cradling their heads and Sanghyuk falls for it every  _ damn time _ , just like he is now.

He cries, not as hard as what he once would because he can’t do anything else but cry in his arms because Hakyeon made him feel like he had a purpose in this job and now he’s the one taking care of him on one of the worst nights of his life that he goes through every single fucking year. This day makes him recount everything that he spent so long running from, makes him feel everything he didn’t want to when he was a teenager. He hates his birthday because he never calls his parents back even when they leave him nice messages and he always declines their invites to dinner. He hates his birthday because it was his sister that always made him love it.

“Okay,” Hakyeon breathes in his ear, walking him into his apartment, making him focus on the right here right now. “Okay, I’m shutting the door. You have a couch?” He hums when Sanghyuk nods quickly. “Okay, we’re going to sit down there, yeah?”

“No, I can-” He tries to speak but he’s shaking and his brain just won’t let him spit out what he needs to say. Hakyeon doesn’t question it, kicking the door shut and walking Sanghyuk to the couch. He sits down first and Sanghyuk collapses on him, squeezing the breath out of him. He manages a laugh at that and Sanghyuk takes a shaky breath.

“I’ve got you,” Hakyeon whispers, his fingers threading through Sanghyuk’s hair slowly. “I’ve got you, Hyukkie. You know that. I’ve got your back, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Sanghyuk manages, his face tucked into his partner’s neck, where it’s safe. Where he can cry and moan and sob and Hakyeon will hush him, his arms around him to keep him secure, to keep him  _ whole _ .

“I hate my birthday,” is all he mutters and Hakyeon hums, not commenting and he’s grateful for it. “I always spend it alone. Since I was… was a teenager, I never liked c-celebrating it.” He closes his eyes, his tears turning his body numb. They never last long, it’s been a very long time since he was young and staring at the empty seat at the table meant for four. 

Sanghyuk doesn’t think to think and he barely focuses on this day whenever it makes its yearly passing, but he thinks he should now, should address the things he’s terrified to conclude. He doesn’t say anything to Hakyeon, because there’s no reason for it. Hakyeon never asks and Sanghyuk doesn’t owe him an answer. It’s his own bundle of everything to carry and he gets to choose whether he wants to open it and let it all out. But he doesn’t feel pressured by Hakyeon to do anything and he’s grateful because all he wants to do now is sleep.

He misses his entire family but he has found a new family in his work. He knows he should be good to his parents and he does try to be but there’s things a son can’t tell his parents, things that haunt him and keep him stuck. And right now, it’s his real family that’s haunting him, but he feels guilty because it’s by his own doing that he’s suffering. 

But Hakyeon comforting him isn’t the strangest thing and there is nothing else to this situation besides someone being there for someone they care about. Hakyeon cares a little too much sometimes but it’s not a fault that Sanghyuk will criticise, especially when he’s in his arms and finding solace in the fact that he’s not alone tonight.

They lie in silence for a while, Hakyeon’s fingers threading through Sanghyuk’s short hair offhandedly. It’s soothing but they won’t be comfortable for much longer because he knows his couch really isn’t the best to sleep on. “I’m really…” he says, sniffing to himself. “I’m tired. I w-... I want to go to bed.”

Hakyeon speaks into Sanghyuk’s hair and he feels his words against his face. “Do you want to move?”

Sanghyuk shakes his head immediately, going against his earlier internal comment about his couch but Hakyeon simply nods, giving complete control over the situation to Sanghyuk for now. “It’s okay,” Hakyeon says, more into his hair than anything else when they settle down again. “We’ll stay here. You can go to sleep, baby.”

The room freezes but Sanghyuk starts to laugh, making Hakyeon chuckle a little, too. It feels nice, to be called that. Taekwoon used to call him that pet name a lot when he was younger and afraid of everything. He feels small right now but he’s not afraid. He trusts Hakyeon - and it’s surprising that he does. They’ve only known each other for a short time and usually Sanghyuk needs more than just a colleague relationship to feel close to someone but he likes that about Hakyeon. He lets people find comfort in him, lets people lean on him when they need to.

Sanghyuk eventually stops hiccuping and settles down, his face in Hakyeon’s chest. Hakyeon laughs when he shifts and lays his ear against Hakyeon’s heart, hoping his heart will listen too and match his beat.

“Goodnight, Hyukkie,” Hakyeon whispers and Sanghyuk whispers it back in return. He’s unsure of what will happen with either of them in the morning but he really doesn’t care. He wants to sleep, so he’s going to sleep. Goodnight world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this is taking literally forever but now you sort of know why  
> i promise next chapter yall will get some good content ^^ this chapter has been a wall that ive been taking a while to get over so here it is,, i know its angsty but good things are coming soon  
> thank you guys for reading ): <3


	10. confessional

Sanghyuk doesn't wake up in a cold sweat like he usually does.

He blinks himself awake, his dream something that leaves him calm but he's unable to remember it, the waking world clouding his mind too much. But he wakes up to something warm but his back aches something fierce and it dawns on him that he's sleeping on top of Hakyeon who is definitely awake right now.

“Sorry,” he croaks out, his voice scratching on his dry throat. God, it feels like he hasn’t had anything to drink for years.

Hakyeon turns his head to him, his expression bright but his eyes are horribly tired and Sanghyuk struggles up, trying to get off him. He doesn’t even want to know how long Hakyeon has been asleep; it doesn’t look like much.

“You didn't sleep,” he states, not a question.

Hakyeon unwraps his arm from Sanghyuk’s shoulders and cracks his knuckles, trying to stretch out his back in the awkward position of their legs tangled together but Sanghyuk sits up right to give him some space.

“I did a little,” Hakyeon offers but his voice gives it away. He's dead tired and Sanghyuk somehow rolls off him and stands up without hurting him, taking Hakyeon’s hand. 

“I should have moved when you asked.”

Hakyeon still smiles but he falls into Sanghyuk’s bed without hesitation, still in his coat and jeans from last night. And his shirt that has Sanghyuk’s dried tears in the cotton but neither of them bring that part up.

“It’s okay,” Hakyeon mumbles, his eyes already closing. Sanghyuk crawls into bed next to him, under the covers and lays his head against the pillow, watching Hakyeon’s profile.

“Just don't be alone,” he finishes and Sanghyuk smiles sadly, humming. Hakyeon falls asleep easily, exhausted and Sanghyuk tries to ignore his guilt but it was nice to be taken care of for a night, when he needed it the most. Sanghyuk closes his eyes and tries to fall asleep to the sound of Hakyeon’s breathing. He's not surprised that it works.

When he wakes up again, Hakyeon is sitting up on the edge of his bed, shifting and cracking his back effectively. It’s morning now, something Sanghyuk didn't take into account when he woke up before and Hakyeon looks over his shoulder at him.

“How do you feel?” he asks and Sanghyuk sniffs, rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling for a few moments.

“Alright,” he answers honestly. His head hurts and he needs water to replace all the tears he left on Hakyeon’s shirt last night but he's okay. He’ll be okay.

“Thank you,” Sanghyuk says when Hakyeon turns away from him to check his phone finally. “For worrying about me.”

Hakyeon snorts, pocketing his phone again as he lays down, still in his coat. He's not wearing shoes and Sanghyuk hasn't changed out of his jeans and shirt from yesterday but that makes it a little less intimate for the both of them.

“You're welcome,” Hakyeon says softly, staring at the ceiling with him as a comfortable silence slips over them. “But you shouldn't thank me. You deserve to feel safe.”

Sanghyuk doesn't reply but he does swallow, managing a nod. Hakyeon doesn't say anything more and Sanghyuk realises his eyes are closed again and he does the same, savouring the moment of clarity between them.

  
  


***

“Welcome to the crime scene, boys!”

It’s a few weeks later that Sanghyuk finally feels like work returns to normal. Jaehwan grins at them but his face drops immediately when his supervisor, Yongguk, lifts an eyebrow at him. He can be a scary guy when he wants to be and Jaehwan regains himself a little bit, calling Hakyeon and Sanghyuk over to the area quickly.

It’s the sight of a robbery gone wrong and the victim was shot but he's okay, recovering at the hospital from a wound to his shoulder. He doesn't know who attempted to rob him but they didn't get far and Sanghyuk bites his cheek as he looks at the spots of blood on the floor, staining the carpet.

“It’s from him,” Yongguk says, his deep voice startling Sanghyuk. “I’m going to speak to him at the hospital soon once the doctors run tests. He says he scratched the perp.”

“Oh, that's a relief,” Hakyeon mumbles, looking around for a moment. His walkie talkie sparks and he answers it, turning away for a moment to speak.

It’s a simple case, especially with the DNA but it feels good to return to normal work again. Sanghyuk feels like it’s been way too long since he's been able to focus on a case and relax. Well, not relax because crime is awful and stressful- You get it.

He receives more solo cases at his request and it makes him happy to see Hakyeon pleased at how his work is paying off. He checks Sanghyuk’s paperwork when it’s done and critiques it and it surprisingly doesn't make Sanghyuk upset. He supposes it’s because he wants to get the most out of his time with Hakyeon and there's no use in being defensive if he recognises that he can improve.

And anything prideful from Hakyeon makes his blood sing and it makes him want to punch himself for smiling at it. But Hakyeon smiles back at him and Sanghyuk spends the next ten minutes evaluating the interaction like an idiot in love and sighs deeply.

“What are your plans for the weekend?” he hears Hyungwon ask Hakyeon in the morning, innocently which is everything Hyungwon _ isn't.  _ Hakyeon purses his lips, turning in his chair and shrugging. It’s only Thursday but Hyungwon rarely understands the concept of time so it’s no issue to him. 

“Not much, I don't think,” Hakyeon admits, smiling. “Why? Do you have something planned?”

“I was going to go clubbing with a few friends,” Hyungwon answers, shrugging. “If you want to come, I'll tell you what's up. Maybe find you a nice girl or something.”

Hakyeon laughs and Sanghyuk looks down at Hyungwon’s directed gaze. “I’m flattered but at what age do you become too old for clubbing?”

“I’m not sure,” Hyungwon admits, thinking to himself but Sanghyuk knows it’s a ploy. He picks up his phone and Sanghyuk feels his own go off, his stomach dropping. Hyungwon makes trouble and Hyungwon never makes  _ good _ trouble.

“I appreciate the invite but I think being thirty four is hitting me really quickly,” Hakyeon chuckles, turning back to his desk. “Maybe Hyukkie will come out with you.”

Sanghyuk screws up his face. “I’m good.” Last time he went out with Hyungwon, he got drunk and Hakyeon had to walk him home. “I'd rather not do a night out with Hyungwon-hyung again.”

Hakyeon tries to hide his smile but it’s sweet when he meets Sanghyuk’s eyes, pleased. “I didn't mind it. You were cute.”

Sanghyuk tires to keep his cheeks from heating up. So far he’s managed to kiss Hakyeon twice for a case, get drunk and have him take him home and fall asleep on him after crying into his shoulder for multiple hours. Hey, Taekwoon-hyung, is this what you thought the mentorship would be like?

“Yeah, a grown ass man falling on the floor a bunch of times must be your type then,” Sanghyuk scoffs instead, looking at his computer even though there’s nothing on the screen that’s of use.

Hakyeon hums which absolutely does not help Sanghyuk’s stupid heart.  _ Holy shit, just deny it before I get too hopeful. _

Sanghyuk’s phone vibrates again and he glances at it.  _ ASK HIM OUT BEFORE I DO IT FOR YOU, _ reads Hyungwon’s text and Sanghyuk rolls his eyes at it, exasperated.  _ I swear to whatever God is listening. Hyuk, even if he doesn't like you back, you should still confess. _

_ AS IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING BE QUIET _

_ HYUK FUCK IM GOING TO THROTTLE YOU _

Hyungwon angrily gets a hold of his keyboard and Sanghyuk scowls at him but Hyungwon doesn't look at him. He says completely silent, the room seeming to slow down and when Hakyeon checks his phone, Sanghyuk almost breaks his. 

But it’s nothing, apparently and Hyungwon sits up, angrily miming to Sanghyuk to check his phone and this feels so high school, it’s giving him flashbacks to him getting confessed to and almost passing out from sheer embarassment. Wonshik’s contact comes up and Sanghyuk answers the phone call before it can even vibrate.

“What?” he snaps and Wonshik laughs at him, obnoxiously. It makes him grit his teeth and he stands up, stepping into the break room and shutting the door behind him.

_ “Do you mind explaining how… Chae Hyungwon got my number? He told me to call you about Hakyeon-hyung so I’m assuming you know him?” _

“If I didn't, would you be taking this as easily?” Sanghyuk answers, irritated. “Someone randomly texts you asking about two people that you know are detectives and you don't bat an eye?”

_ “It was his work email, you clown.” _

Sanghyuk closes his eyes and takes a moment. He should have guessed that. He didn't but he should have. Okay, maybe he's not as smart as he makes himself out to be but come on, he's stressed.

“What did he ask you?”

_ “To slap some sense into you.” _

Sanghyuk collapses into the couch and sighs, rubbing his eyes. “Look, I appreciate you giving a shit about me or whatever but there's more to it than me just telling him how I feel.”

Wonshik doesn't reply for a moment before he simply hums, understanding.  _ “I know that. But are you making this more complicated than it needs to be? Hyung wouldn't hurt you so you need to be prepared for both outcomes. Even if he rejects you, you’ll get more good out of it than if you sit there wondering what will happen if you were to say anything.” _

“It’s not that easy,” Sanghyuk repeats, meek. “Hakyeon is my mentor. It’s not professional.”

_ “You are right. But at the same time, would you rather wait five months more to tell him when he's leaving? Or would you rather tell him now, know what he feels in return, and go from there?” _

Sanghyuk would give anything to know. And when he considers it, he realises how hypocritical that is. He's almost thirty for crying out loud and he's overthinking a crush on his superior because he's too much of a coward to gather up his courage and just ficking say it. Sanghyuk chases bad guys for a living and he can’t open his mouth to his mentor about something that affects them both? Well, not Hakyeon as much but it involves him, selfishly.

_ “I hate to say this,”  _ Wonshik continues cautiously,  _ “but I think he’ll find it eventually. That's if he hasn't figured it out yet. You're a great guy and hyung isn't the type to be cruel about these things. You both can still be professional if you choose to be.” _

Sanghyuk swallows, sighing. Wonshik is right, he knows he is and Sanghyuk doesn't feel like vocalising all the things he thinks are wrong with him and why this is a bad idea. But he takes a breath and musters up the courage to speak again. “I don't want to pressure him.”

Wonshik snorts.  _ “Dude, hyung doesn't mind pressure. But I seriously doubt he’d lead you on if he didn't have feelings for you. Don't force him and you'll be fine.” _

“Confessing is easier said than done.”

_ “If you want to move on and not have this weigh on you, then you’d be smart to listen to what I’m saying. It’s your choice.” _

Sanghyuk laughs to himself, shaking his head. “Thanks for the lecture, mister lawyer.”

_ “It’s what I do.”  _ Wonshik chuckles to himself, shifting.  _ “You don't have to do it now, but do it sooner rather than later.” _

Sanghyuk hums in reply and that seems to be enough for Wonshik. He hangs up and Sanghyuk drops his head against the back of the couch and groans. His legs starts to shake and he stands up quickly, his body and mouth moving quicker than his brain can process and he opens the break room door in a flurry, smacking it against the wall and startling Chansik from his documents.

He steps out with a small apology to Chansik and a glare sent Hyungwon’s way because he's smirking like a smug cat. He taps Hakyeon’s desk and his partner looks up at him, a small frown of question on his face. Sanghyuk’s brain still hasn't caught up with him yet and he speaks before it does, his words muddling together but Hakyeon understands.

“Can you meet me in the evidence room in five minutes?”

Hakyeon blinks at him, his lips parting for a moment before he glances at the time and swallows. “Yeah, sure,” he says, his frown deepening. But he doesn't protest and Sanghyuk walks away, a little too quickly. Hyungwon snorts at him.

His phone vibrates and he knows it has to be Wonshik but he unlocks the evidence room, letting his keys fall back to his hip and sighs once he's at the checkout desk, leaning against the front. He was just sitting down but his legs feel like they've been carrying him for two days straight, his feet tingling.

_ What a weird way to be anxious _ , he thinks as he feels the pins and needles running through his feet. He clamps his hands on his arms to keep them from shaking but they start sweating and he feels peeved. Even his body is betraying him. First Hyungwon, now this. Fantastic.

The door opens and Sanghyuk almost swears but he bites his lip painfully and grimaces at the feeling. Hakyeon closes the door behind him, obviously sensing the atmosphere and he leans against the metal security locker that Sanghyuk left open before the desk. They're not standing close together but it’s close enough and Sanghyuk tries to relax his shoulders as he glances at Hakyeon.

“What's wrong?” Hakyeon asks softly, catching his gaze effectively and Sanghyuk meets his eyes, his brain finally catching up to him and making him stutter but he gets it out.

“I- Uh… I like you.” He grimaces at the wording,  _ so high school,  _ but continues when Hakyeon’s eyebrows raise, surprised but not shocked.

“I needed to tell you,” he says, looking right at Hakyeon. “You don't have to give me an answer or- Well, actually, I'd like it if you did so that I can get over this, I guess. Not that it’s your fault but-”

Hakyeon starts to laugh and Sanghyuk stops, his blood running cold but he's not laughing  _ at _ him, he's-

“Sorry,” Hakyeon manages, trying to keep himself contained. He waves a hand over his mouth, sweet. “It’s not something to laugh about but you just ramble sometimes and it’s cute.”

“It’s because I’m anxious,” Sanghyuk mutters, averting his gaze but Hakyeon clicks his tongue and he looks back up at him immediately. Well, the respect is still there at least.

“I was worried, when you asked me to come and see you,” Hakyeon admits. “But is this really all you wanted to tell me?”

_ What the fuck?  _ “This isn't something I just blurt out randomly,” he snaps back, scowling but Hakyeon shakes his head, his expression soft.

“You made it sound like it was going to be really serious.” Hakyeon raises his brow when Sanghyuk opens his mouth to protest, shutting him up. “Hyuk, I like you too.  _ Like that _ ,” he emphasises when Sanghyuk’s face goes blank. “But we… We can't do anything about it.”

Sanghyuk is about to ask why before he pauses and closes his eyes, taking a moment. “Mentorship,” he says and Hakyeon gives a small smile. “You’re right. I should have- I completely forgot.”

Hakyeon is silent for a few moments, his eyes on the floor. He blinks before he stands up and leans against the desk with Sanghyuk, pressing his shoulder against his. “It’s… We have to keep it professional.”

“So what do you want to do?” Sanghyuk asks, ready to hand this over to Hakyeon. It’s genuinely up to him, since he is the supervisor over their relationship and it’s up to him to call the shots. Sanghyuk has to follow them, no matter what.

“Let’s…” Hakyeon lets out a breathy laugh, seemingly lost. “I think while we’re at work, we keep it profession. Like we have been.”

Sanghyuk nods, pursing his lips. “It’s up to you but if you-” He scrunches up his face and Hakyeon grins at him, not bothering to help him. “If you have feelings for me as well, then what do we do about that?”

Hakyeon thinks for a moment, his frown returning. It takes a few moments but he turns to Sanghyuk, his expression soft and oh, that's what it feels like to be loved by Hakyeon. Okay. Neat.

“Meet with me over the weekend,” he says and Sanghyuk nods, smiling when Hakyeon does. “Don't stand me up. We can talk about it more then.”

“Just so we’re clear,” Sanghyuk starts but Hakyeon raises his eyebrow as he pulls away, standing to leave.

“You like me,” Hakyeon states, raising his eyebrows. “I like you. We need to be professional about this so meet me at my apartment over the weekend and we can talk more like adults who have feelings for each other.”

Sanghyuk stands up, trying to hide how much he wants to smile at Hakyeon but it doesn't work. He breaks and Hakyeon chuckles at him, his eyes soft and beautiful even in the unflattering yellow lighting of the windowless evidence room. “Okay,” he agrees and Hakyeon winks at him as he leaves.

Well, he got his answer and when he walks back to his desk after having a freakout in the evidence room for ten minutes, Hakyeon is smiling to himself and Hyungwon is scowling at him.

_ Did you tell him? _ he mouths and Sanghyuk shrugs, not giving him an answer and leaving his expression blank. Hyungwon seethes in his chair and Sanghyuk turns off his phone when he sees both Hongbin and Hyungwon’s contacts in his lockscreen.

  
  


***

Hakyeon hugs him at the door when he slows up Sunday night, nervous and Sanghyuk smiles at him when he pulls away, stepping inside the apartment.

“How are you?” he asks and Hakyeon blinks, nodding.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you?”

Sanghyuk laughs. “I’m nervous.”

Hakyeon lets out a breath and agrees with him. Wow, shocking. “Yeah, I’m nervous too.”

Sanghyuk looks at him, the two of them managing to smile at each other. It’s awkward and stupid but Sanghyuk touches Hakyeon’s face and steps closer, his sudden burst of confidence making Hakyeon laugh softly at him.

“We’re not at work, so what can I do?” he says quietly, pressing their foreheads together. “Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.” Hakyeon looks to the side to avoid his eyes since they’re so close together but he smiles at him. “But we don’t have to do it in my kitchen.”

Sanghyuk pulls away, rolling his eyes but he sits down on Hakyeon’s couch. They sit in silence for a few moments before Hakyeon takes Sanghyuk’s hand and smiles at him.

“Well, let’s just…” Hakyeon starts but he blows out a breath, stumped. “I don’t know? God.”

Sanghyuk laughs at him, licking his lips. He leans back into the couch, holding Hakyeon’s hand with both of his, his eyes elsewhere. “Okay, then how about some questions? When did you start to like me?”

Hakyeon thinks for a moment but he can’t exactly pinpoint anything. Maybe it was when Sanghyuk challenged him with the bet, or when he was so worried when Hakyeon went undercover for the drug bust. “I don’t really know the exact point. I know when I realised it, though. It was when you spoke to me about Jeongha. The way you spoke to me just made me figure it out, I guess?”

“Weird situation,” Sanghyuk smiles and he looks cute. God, Hakyeon really wants to kiss him. Actually, he might be able to soon. “I realised it when thinking you were hot went further than just attraction. I thought it would go away but, uh. It didn’t. And now we’re here.”

“Boy crush,” Hakyeon teases, leaning back with him. He cuddles up close to Sanghyuk, grateful that he can do so and Sanghyuk smiles at him. He lifts his hand from Hakyeon’s and touches his face, holding his cheek and simply staring at him.

“What do you want to do?” Sanghyuk repeats and Hakyeon decides that kissing him is better than explaining because this is what he wants. He wants Sanghyuk, not for a case like the first time they kissed, but like this, with Sanghyuk’s hand on his cheek and his own hands in Sanghyuk’s hair. It’s nothing more than kissing, the two of them just trying to get their hands on one another in anyway they can. But it’s still innocent still, thankfully.

“You’re gonna have to explain this,” Sanghyuk laughs when Hakyeon pulls away from him, staring at him. “Spell it out for me.”

“I want to do this, with you,” he says quickly, still close. Sanghyuk’s breath ghosts over his lips but he refrains from kissing him. For now. “But we have-”

“To keep it professional, I know.” Sanghyuk grins, acting innocent but he has a twinkle in his eye that says trouble. “I get it. But you also have to know that this isn't because you’re my mentor or something.”

“Yeah, I figured that.” Hakyeon fiddles with one of Sanghyuk’s drawstrings on his hoodie to calm his mind, wrapping it around his finger. “At work, this doesn't exist, okay? I don't think they can fire either of us but we still have to work together. Which means no comments, either.”

“So the same as before.” Sanghyuk purses his lips, making a face. He doesn’t seem too pleased about that but they don’t protest. “Back to quiet pining.”

Hakyeon smiles at him, sweet and reassuring and Sanghyuk does it back, both of them giving their best. Hakyeon kisses him again, softly and close mouthed and Sanghyuk smiles into it, pleased as can be.

  
  


***

“How much does it cost to own a dog?”

Hakyeon pauses his aiming to glare at Taekwoon, scowling. Taekwoon stares openly back at him and Sanghyuk laughs from the other booth, loud and clear despite their noise cancelling headphones.

“Is this what happens when you pass thirty?” Sanghyuk asks, cheeky as he pokes his head around the back to join in on the conversation. He grins ear to ear and Hakyeon wants to kiss it off his face.

Taekwoon makes a face, pulling one side off his ear. Sanghyuk copies him and Hakyeon can see why they fit so well together. “I’m not having a mid life crisis if that's what you're asking. Wonshik wants a dog.”

“Don't you hate dogs?” Hakyeon asks, trying to remember who said that to him.

“No, dogs are fine,” Taekwoon smiles, feeling more than he’s saying. “I just want to surprise him.”

Sanghyuk scratches his face, leaning on the wall and Hakyeon glances at him, trying to keep his thoughts to himself. “Well, what kind of dog does he want? The cost can depend on the breed. Also, you should check with your landlord if you can even have a dog.”

Hakyeon frowns, putting his gun down on the wooden ledge in front of him. “Hold on, you guys aren't even living together.” Taekwoon stares at him as his cheeks increasingly turn pink and Hakyeon smacks him in the arm. “Taekwoon! You've been dating for not even a year!”

“It’s not  _ living _ together,” Taekwoon corrects, looking away shyly. “It’s more… Well, I live with my parents still. To take care of them. If I hypothetically wanted to get an apartment, I’d need someone there to actually live because I wouldn't be there all the time. Rent is expensive.”

“So are you a boyfriend or a sugar daddy?” Sanghyuk asks and he almost gets punched for that comment but he looks down at Taekwoon and his superior halts his assault.

“I’m not going to do it  _ now _ ,” Taekwoon urges. “But… I don't know. His birthday is next year, so I want to do it before then. And he keeps talking about french bulldogs. So, I want to maybe help him get one. And I could take care of it with my family when he’s busy.”

“God, he's obsessed with those dogs,” Hakyeon sighs, unsurprised. Wonshik has been talking about french bulldogs since Hakyeon met him but law school is very busy and Wonshik never had the time to properly care for a puppy while studying. Hakyeon advised against him getting one a few years ago since Wonshik had only just graduated and needed all the money he could get while he was building up a reputation for himself.

“They're expensive,” Hakyeon says, picking up his gun again. “But it’s literally the only dog Wonshik has ever thought about getting. He's been talking about them for years.”

Taekwoon nods, pulling out his phone to probably write this down. Hakyeon takes a breath, reloads and shoots the target.

Taekwoon doesn't stay for long, since Hakyeon can supervise anyone at the training grounds if need be but that leaves Sanghyuk with him and Hakyeon doesn't like turning his back to him because then he can't tell what he's going to do next. But Sanghyuk keeps his hands to himself, disassembling his gun and putting it back together out of pure boredom, so Hakyeon asks him to shoot the target and show him what he can do. 

“You're going to be surprised,” Sanghyuk smirks as he gets his stance right. 

“Then surprise me,” Hakyeon answers, leaning against the booth wall and watching him.

“If I get a headshot-”

“I’m not making another bet with you,” Hakyeon retorts, smirking. “Surprise me and I'll decide what I want.”

Sanghyuk resists the very obvious opening to make a not so professional joke and bites his cheek. He corrects his placement and fires his shots quickly, his arm absorbing most of the kickback and Hakyeon raises his eyebrows.

Sanghyuk is an incredible shot, landing three headshots out of six shots, the other three landing on the chest. He puts his gun down and turns to Hakyeon, waiting for the decision from him. He raises his eyebrows, smug look on his face so Hakyeon beckons him over.

Sanghyuk doesn't press so Hakyeon leans up to whisper in his ear. “You can watch me as I walk away.”

He pulls away before Sanghyuk can grab him and keep him there, smiling at him. He puts his safety glasses on his head and hands his hands up in mock surrender. “And there's a spare key under the mat of my apartment. Get back to work.”

Sanghyuk groans and snatches his gun up, charging after Hakyeon as he runs from him, back to their training lockers.

***

Jeongha stares at them both with critical eyes.

Sanghyuk came to help Hakyeon like he said he would but Jeongha is acting strange with both of them, even with Wonshik in the room. Wonshik is running her through what kind of questions the defense might ask her on the stand but she's been staring at Hakyeon for the past twenty minutes, in a squint.

“What is it?” Sanghyuk eventually snaps, lifting an eyebrow but Jeongha continues to stare, throwing a side glance at Sanghyuk for his comment.

Wonshik sighs, rubbing his face. “Jeongha, I need you to work with me. Can you not stare detective Cha down when I’m trying to run you through this?”

“Sorry,” Jeongha says, eyes still boring into Hakyeon. “He's… I don't know. You just remind me of someone suddenly.”

Hakyeon blinks at her, confused. A few months ago, Jeongha hated him and now he reminds her of someone? It can't be a good someone, that's for sure.

“My brother,” Jeongha says, snapping her fingers. “You've got that look in your eye. So does he.” He nods her head at Sanghyuk. “You've both got something up your sleeve.”

“Should be relying on Wonshik to have something up his sleeve,” Hakyeon mutters but gets a kick to the shin from Wonshik.

Wonshik gathers his papers again. “Okay, now that that's over, can we all focus?”

Jeongha agrees but she looks at Hakyeon and winks, as if to say  _ I know you have a secret _ but she's always been perspective so it’s no surprise that she can tell something is different. But Taekwoon is yet to find out as well as Wonshik and Hyungwon hasn't shoved his nose into their business again so their secret is as safe as it can be right now.

It’s not a big deal that they're dating in private (can Hakyeon even call it dating?). Hakyeon isn't ashamed of Sanghyuk or anything like that and he long since got over the fact that some people are simply younger than him. He doesn't think it’s strange, what they have but it is definitely not appropriate in a work setting. The best thing they can do is keep it strict and hidden while Hakyeon is still under command as Sanghyuk’s mentor. Outside of work, they treat each other as normal people, not partners even if the work banter is still present. They should learn each other as Cha Hakyeon and Han Sanghyuk, not as Detective Cha and Han.

And they’re working towards that. Hakyeon learnt that Sanghyuk’s favourite movie is Treasure Planet and Sanghyuk learned that Hakyeon likes tea as opposed to coffee. Hakyeon also learnt that Sanghyuk is lactose intolerant and he's been giving him full cream coffees for the past eight months. He definitely spent way too long apologising for that one and then berating Sanghyuk for not telling him but still drinking the coffee ( _ I didn't want to be rude!). _

“I feel like it’s a normal thing to not drink milk if you're lactose intolerant,” Hakyeon says one night when they're shopping together. Sanghyuk messaged him because he would have been alone for the night and bored so Hakyeon invited him to go Friday night grocery shopping with him because it’s the only time he can actually get it done during the week.

Sanghyuk bought a strawberry milk already from the vending machine outside Hakyeon’s apartment as they walked to the store and is halfway through it even though it’s 100% not soy milk. Or almond. Or anything that's not  _ full cream. _

“Yeah, I’m not saying that's weird,” Sanghyuk says, smirking at him. “I’m just saying that nothing will stop me from drinking this, even if my guts will murder me from the inside later.”

Hakyeon grimaces, his hand twitching on the lettuce he tries to pick up. “That's disgusting. You know that's not good for your digestive tract, right? Like, you cannot digest dairy but you keep drinking it.”

Sanghyuk fits his lips around the straw but lets it press against his bottom lip. “Well, think of it like this. Wonshik-hyung would still want a dog even if he was allergic to it.”

“There's a difference between being allergic to your favorite animal and drinking something that will turn your insides to liquid.”

Sanghyuk laughs, glancing around for a moment before he moves to where the milk is. He comes back with a banana milk carton and Hakyeon tries not to let his eye twitch from the carving that suddenly hits him.

“If you knew how this tasted and you were lactose intolerant, would you still drink it?”

“I’m not lactose intolerant,” Hakyeon defends, snatching the carton from him and putting it in his basket without further comment. 

Sanghyuk lifts one eyebrow, smug and follows after Hakyeon as he walks down the next aisle looking for spices. “I didn't know I was lactose intolerant until I was in my twenties. Like, I wasn't intolerant back then. Now I am. So if you were the same as me and you grew up drinking banana milk but became-”

“Yes, I will still drink it,” Hakyeon retorts, letting him win the argument because it’s about banana milk and Sanghyuk knows that Hakyeon could never trash banana milk. He learnt about his little obsession a few days ago and now won't leave him alone about it and even left a carton in his desk draw that he found when he was during paperwork for a perp he picked up.

“Caught you in your bullshit,” Sanghyuk whispers in his ear as he pauses at the spices section. Hakyeon looks over his shoulder at him but Sanghyuk presses closer to him, his chest against Hakyeon’s back. He takes one of the top rack spices off the shelf to inspect but it’s really just a ploy for him to touch Hakyeon’s waist comfortably.

“If you wanted to hold me, you could have asked,” he says quietly, glancing up at him.

Sanghyuk continues to inspect the cinnamon he picked up. “Then that takes the fun out of it.”

“You’re lucky I like you.”

“Mm, I wouldn’t put it like that.”

Hakyeon leans back into him, comfortably and sighs, and Sanghyuk grins in his face, obnoxiously smashing his lips against Hakyeon’s cheek and he would have licked him if Hakyeon didn’t shove him away. He grins at him and Hakyeon sighs, unable to fight the smile from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello long time no update dskjkds  
> i've been busy but!! good things! hopefully i can update more regularly now as things have started to calm down for me. happy reading!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a hostage situation is mentioned in this chapter but nothing is in detail, so i don't think there's anything to worry about ^^

“How is it mid August already?”

Hakyeon blinks up at Sanghyuk who’s standing up near his wall, inspecting his calendar with a squint. They’re together for the weekend, nothing more, because Hakyeon wanted to teach Sanghyuk how to cook something but that didn’t go so well. Sanghyuk really cannot cook and Hakyeon learnt that very quickly.

Hakyeon hums, closing his eyes as he leans on his hand and curls up against himself. Sanghyuk sits next to him, giving him a smile and Hakyeon gives up on keeping to himself, leaning on him heavily. Sanghyuk holds him close and Hakyeon will definitely admit that it’s quite nice to be held every once and awhile, especially by Sanghyuk.

“Are you tired?” Sanghyuk asks, running his hand up Hakyeon’s spine slowly, soothing him. Hakyeon barely registers the question, tucking his face into Sanghyuk’s neck and sighing against his skin. 

It’s a quiet night for both of them, something they really need after the past few weeks they’ve had. They’ve been good at keeping their rule up of being professional at work but Hongbin figured it out easily, especially since he hacked Sanghyuk’s phone and read his text messages. It’s not the first time he’s done that so Hakyeon was more furious than Sanghyuk was, but Hongbin just laughed until he couldn’t breathe and all was dismissed. 

“He keeps to himself,” Sanghyuk said at the time, smirking at Hakyeon who was red in the face. His smugness can be hot sometimes but it’s always at the worst times. His phone was hacked and he’s the one being smug? Hakyeon glared at him until his face dropped and he looked away, making Hakyeon laugh at him.

“Come on,” Sanghyuk whispers now, tucking his hands under Hakyeon’s legs and lifting him. It takes a bit more effort from Sanghyuk than he expects if his grunt is anything to go by. But it still seems a lot easier than Hakyeon thought it would be.

“Yeah, I am a grown man, believe it or not,” Hakyeon mutters, holding Sanghyuk around his neck to keep himself supported. He doesn’t need Sanghyuk to show off for him only to drop his ass on the floor.

“Still not six foot, though.” Hakyeon smacks his chest but he can’t exactly deny the truth. He just didn’t need it to be pointed  _ out _ . 

“Are you going to stay?” Hakyeon asks when he’s placed on his bed, letting Sanghyuk go slowly so he can pull back. He settles against the pillows and Sanghyuk looks at him, shrugging. He isn’t sure and Hakyeon can tell he’s been waiting for him to offer. “I want you to stay.”

“Then I’ll stay,” Sanghyuk answers, climbing into bed with him. It takes a little bit of shuffling but Sanghyuk collapses on Hakyeon’s chest, borderline winding him with a smirk on his face and Hakyeon groans under his weight, unpleasant. But it’s still comforting, his weight on Hakyeon’s chest.

“I’m a grown man, believe it or not,” Sanghyuk tells him, amusement clear in his voice and Hakyeon sighs, humming in agreement.

  
  


***

Taekwoon stops by for seemingly no reason at all while they’re at work and Sanghyuk walks into the precinct, finding Hakyeon scowling at Taekwoon which is never a face he wears when Taekwoon is around. If Sanghyuk didn’t know any better, he’d assume that they were married. Actually, he’ll have to double check that. He isn’t completely sure even if he’s the one that gets to stick his hand in Hakyeon’s back pocket.

“It’s almost too easy to hate you,” Hakyeon says and Taekwoon balks at him, his eyes wide.

“What!” Taekwoon throws his hands up and Sanghyuk sits down (a mistake he shouldn’t have made). Taekwoon glances at him and gestures to him flippantly, as if he’s supposed to know exactly what they’re talking about from their expressions. “Defend yourself!”

“About what?” Sanghyuk frowns, glancing at Hakyeon for an explanation but his partner offers none.

Taekwoon raises an eyebrow at Hakyeon, defensive. “He says you’re dating someone.”

Sanghyuk looks at Hakyeon, unassumed but Hakyeon smiles at him, his eyes saying  _ don’t ruin the fun just yet _ . “Yeah, hyung,” he addresses Taekwoon, clearly unimpressed. “He’s really nice. I guess I got over Hakyeon-hyung really easily.” Hakyeon balks at him this time and Taekwoon raises his eyebrows, surprised that he would just confess that. “What? He’s old news.”

“I am not  _ old _ news,” Hakyeon grumbles, crossing his arms. 

Taekwoon taps on the desk, shaking his head. He looks offended but Sanghyuk doesn’t apologise.. “But… I thought that you… Okay, never mind. Who’s this new guy?”

“The hell do you mean, ‘never mind’,” Hakyeon hisses but no one pays him any attention. If he wanted to fish for compliments, he shouldn’t have lied to Taekwoon from the start.

“He’s cute,” Sanghyuk says, pretending to think to himself. Maybe if he pretends a little more, Hakyeon will have steam blowing out of his ears. “He’s older than me, too. Kind of dumb but I like him for it. I don't know, he's just nic. He's a cop, too.”

“Sounds like Hakyeon,” Taekwoon jokes, laughing to himself for a moment. He looks at Sanghyuk for confirmation and he almost squeals when Sanghyuk just looks at him, unimpressed by his stupidity. But Hakyeon’s ears are flushed and that’s exactly what Sanghyuk wanted.

“Go away,” Sanghyuk says to Taekwoon, needing to get back to work. “Figure it out. Goodbye.”

Taekwoon rolls his eyes, irritated but he does take his leave when their captain shoots him a look that is definitely not inviting. He bids farewell and narrowly avoids Hongbin who glares at him when he almost spills his coffee on his shirt.

“Cha, I have a case for you,” the cybernetics captain says once he’s crossed the floor to Sanghyuk’s desk, handing Hakyeon a case file. Hakyeon takes it without word and scans it. He blinks at it and looks up at Hongbin, who nods in confirmation.

Hakyeon stands up and packs his things, ready to go. He nods to Chanshik who stands with him and they head out in silence, easy partnership between them. Sanghyuk doesn't question it. Chanshik hasn't had many fieldwork cases lately and Hakyeon didn’t teach Sanghyuk how to do his paperwork correctly for nothing. He needs to catch up.

“Is it good?” Hongbin asks suddenly, watching Sanghyuk with curious eyes. “With Cha?”

Sanghyuk sighs. “I forget that you know.” 

“Yeah, so spill it.”

“It’s good,” Sanghyuk answers bluntly. He's a private person and Hongbin knows that so if he suddenly expects Sanghyuk to spill his guts, he's severely wrong. “He respects me.”

“I’m glad,” Hongbin returns, smiling at him. “You should tell Taekwoon. He’ll have a fit.”

“Waiting for the right time to let it out,” Sanghyuk laughs, shaking his head. It’s always fun to talk shit with Hongbin whenever they can. They work in the same building, but different departments and it makes Sanghyuk miss him a little when they don’t catch up, but their texts and random meme sending ties him over for a while most of the time.

Time passes slowly in the precinct but Sanghyuk keeps himself occupied. He has paperwork to get through and he decides to do some of Hakyeon’s for their joint cases to take the load off him. It’s a desk day for him and he finds that he doesn’t mind it too much. When he was younger, he would have dredded to do this but he supposes that’s the way he’s matured.

Hakyeon taught him how to compile his evidence and file it correctly. A lot of it can be covered by Jaehwan at a scene depending on the case but Hakyeon let Sanghyuk know the correct way to label that will make it incredibly easy to find later on. It’s a little tedious, which he and Sanghyuk both agreed on but labelling everything down to the last detail is so crucial to a case and it’s extremely important to do so in case Sanghyuk wants to look back on any of his cases in the evidence lock up and needs them quick.

Hongbin files in and out of the precinct, assigning cases and updating who else has asked for his help on previous ones. Surprisingly, Hyungwon isn’t too insufferable today and is keeping to himself but he does bother Sanghyuk on the odd occasion of him being bored.

Hongbin is upstairs for the nth time that day when his radio crackles to life and stills the entire room.  _ “By advised, we have a hostage situation going on in 8th street. Requesting additional units, squad dispatch.” _

“What?” Hyungwon asks, finally looking up from his phone. Hongbin is closest to him and he pulls off his radio to place it on the desk, turning the volume up. Sanghyuk stands up to come closer and Taekwoon is apparently still in the building, stepping out of the elevator. Their captain isn’t with them at the moment, gone on field work. Which makes him their commanding officer for the time being.

“Hostages,” Hongbin explains to Hyungwon, whose eyes are wide. “Six of them. There’s been casualties and nearby officers are responding now.”

_ “Five or six shots have been fired, _ ” comes the voice, no doubt another officer, first on the scene.

_ “Nam, 1374, close and reporting.” _

_ “1374, I have you going.” _

_ “Bae, 4521, close and reporting.” _

_ “4521, I have you going.” _

Hyungwon frowns, glancing up at Taekwoon. “What are they saying?” 

“‘Nearby and reporting’ and their badge numbers,” he says, taking a breath. He looks worried, no doubt thinking of his younger officers who might be close by. “They’re telling dispatch that they’re close by and reporting to assist.”

_ “Cha, 9812, close and reporting.” _

“Cha?” Hongbin blurts out first and Sanghyuk’s stomach plummets. “Cha Hakyeon?”

“That’s his badge number,” Taekwoon breathes and Sanghyuk sits down, suddenly drained of anything and everything. If Hakyeon is reporting, then where is Chanshik? They’re out together, that could have been Sanghyuk reporting next to Hakyeon, but it’s Chanshik and that somehow makes it all worse. He shouldn’t be worried, both of them are more experienced than he is but it’s Chanshik and Hakyeon, one being his mentor and boyfriend and the other being his longest superior officer who he wouldn’t have gotten far without his help. 

Fuck, can’t he just go back to the old days when he broke Chanshik’s finger and Chanshik made fun of him for having a broken nose? It feels like years ago but was only a few months and now, everything is happening a lot faster than he anticipated. Hongbin leaves his radio, trying to focus on his work like before but he’s distracted, his eyes frantic. Chanshik is his best friend, they’ve known each other since they were in the academy and he’s  _ scared _ . If Hongbin’s scared, Sanghyuk doesn’t know what he should be feeling.

Hyungwon doesn’t know what to do with himself, fidgeting with his hands and watching Taekwoon from across the room, who is trying to talk to officers and advise them on their own cases. He calls for a briefing and Sanghyuk wants to vomit.

“There’s limited information,” he begins, Hongbin next to Sanghyuk, squeezing his wrist with his small hand. Sanghyuk lets him squeeze as hard as he wants. “But there’s two possible perpetrators and three dead, all civilians.”

“So are we going to help?” Hyungwon spits out. He looks scared and though he’s not a cop, no one disagrees with him. But Taekwoon shakes his head.

“The neighbouring precinct has it under control and they’re locking down the area. They’ve asked us to stay put in case they need to request for more backup.” Taekwoon surveys the room and it strikes Sanghyuk just how much he’s matured in this role of authority. “Hongbin, I know you’re worried about Chanshik, but he didn’t respond so I’m sure there’s an explanation for it.” He sighs, squaring his shoulders. “And Hakyeon is a lot braver than any of us. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“And it’s Hakyeon, right?” Jaehwan offers from the doorframe, where he stepped in late since Taekwoon called him so urgently. Once again, he’s not a cop but he deserves to know what’s going on. “I mean, he’s… Well, he’s Cha fucking Hakyeon?”

“Yeah,” Taekwoon chuckles, in light of everything. “Yeah, he is. But we’ve been ordered to go about our business as usual, so I’m asking you all to obey that. We all have jobs to do, dismissed.”

Everyone files out, though Hongbin and Hyungwon definitely don’t look happy about it. But suddenly Hongbin is set off running from the second he steps out of the briefing room and into the startled arms of Chanshik, who holds him close in surprise. Hongbin throws his arms around his neck and rocks side to side with him and Chanshik still has it in him to smile in his ears, pleased.

“I’m okay, Bin, it’s okay,” he says and Hongbin nods, pulling away to touch his shoulders to confirm it. “See? Completely fine.”

Hongbin manages a smile for him, dropping his hands down to touch Chanshik’s for comfort. “Do you know anything?” he presses, asking what everyone else wants to voice.

Chanshik heaves a breath, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not sure. I split off from Cha to follow a lead by myself in your case and he wanted to give me the majority of it to solve, since I’ve been out of work recently. But now I feel like shit for leaving him.”

“It’s not your fault,” Taekwoon says, rubbing Chanshik’s arm. “You couldn’t have known. But we’ve been ordered to stay alert, so try not to beat yourself up about it.”

Chanshik nods and lets Hongbin guide him back to his desk and it works for distracting the two of them. Sanghyuk decides that Hyungwon talking shit might be his only way to get through this day and Hyungwon does talk shit, his own way of distracting the two of them from each other’s thoughts. 

“Do you think…” Hyungwon hesitates, keeping his voice down. Sanghyuk suddenly wants to vomit again. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“I can’t make myself feel better if I don’t believe in him,” Sanghyuk answers, eyes trained to the floor. He’s highly considering taking a nap in the evidence room, on the blow up mattresses he knows are in storage next door. Maybe he’ll invite Hyungwon, too.

“I guess you don’t really think about these things until it happens.” Hyungwon purses his lips, his fingers hesitating on his keyboard before he decides to pull up a random game and play it. Sanghyuk watches as their captain returns, speaking lowly with Taekwoon inside her office and when Taekwoon comes out, he nods to Sanghyuk and invites him into the briefing room.

“I need to speak with you about Hakyeon,” he says and Sanghyuk leans back against the table once he’s there, crossing his arms.

Taekwoon watches him with careful eyes, his mouth in a tight line before he glances at the papers he has in his hands, trying for relaxed but coming off as strained. “Your captain and I spoke about your mentorship.”

“Now of all times?” Sanghyuk spits, scowling. “Isn’t there more important things to cover?”

“ _ These _ are the most important things to cover right now,” Taekwoon hisses, raising his eyebrow. “We were told to resume our day’s work, so we are. And our day’s work is the subject of your mentorship, so if you would kindly shut up-” 

Taekwoon stops, looking mortified and Sanghyuk checks behind him in case someone has snuck in to pull a stupid prank but he realises that his superior is horrified at himself. He swallows, looking away for a few moments before regaining himself and Sanghyuk stands up to embrace him, knowing he needs a little bit of reassurance.

“I’m sorry,” Taekwoon whispers. “I just… I’m stressed and I don’t want to show it but I can’t ignore it no matter what I do. So, I just want to talk about this and get it over with.”

Sanghyuk hums and Taekwoon holds him close, tucking his head into his shoulder. Taekwoon has the tendency to make himself a lot smaller than he actually is when he hugs someone and Sanghyuk can’t help but hold the back of his head and scratch his scalp softly. They both need a little bit of love and the familiarity of each other does wonders for Sanghyuk, making him feel secure in Taekwoon’s grasp.

“What’s going on with my mentorship?” he asks as he pulls away and Taekwoon has a flush high on his cheeks, embarrassed at himself for being needy. Sanghyuk doesn’t mind.

“Captain Do and I spoke about how you’ve been progressing.” Taekwoon opens a case file that’s a lot thicker than it should normally be and Sanghyuk realises that it’s his evaluation information, compiled over the years by Taekwoon himself, Chanshik, his past and current captain and now, Hakyeon. It’s built itself up over the years, general evaluations of his actions and responses during cases but Hakyeon has made it a lot bigger since he last saw it in Taekwoon’s grasp, which was about a year and a half ago, after Taekwoon left their workplace.

“It’s fine work,” Taekwoon comments, smiling proudly. “And it shows how much you’ve grown since I left. A year ago, you wouldn’t take on any case with someone as a partner but Hakyeon reported that you took Chanshik to assist and have been filling out your paperwork, too. Even Hongbin has been giving you more cases because he knows you can do the work required.”

Sanghyuk didn’t realise he had changed that much. Sure, he may have been a lone wolf a while back but being partnered and mentored with Hakyeon has given him a lot more of a levelheaded attitude. He knows he can ask for help now, which he knew before but only wanted to hear it from Taekwoon and his captain. He’s not afraid to acknowledge his mistakes now and move on. Well, he’s still a little embarrassed but he’s better than what he was and he knows that if he can admit that freely, he’s improved since Hakyeon joined him.

“Hakyeon sees a lot of good in you,” Taekwoon says quietly. “I saw it, too. When I first met you. You’ve been good to him.”

“He’s been good to me,” Sanghyuk replies, not shy of complimenting Hakyeon, especially when he’s not here to get all soft about it. “I don’t think I would have made it this far without his help.”

“I’m glad to hear you conclude that.” Taekwoon smiles at him, his eyes glittering. “I’ve yet to tell Hakyeon this, considering everything. But Captain Do and I have thought about ending the mentorship early.”

Sanghyuk halts everything, his brain slowing down to try and process what was just said. End the mentorship early? But wouldn’t that- “Doesn’t that mean that he’ll have to leave the precinct?” Sanghyuk can’t handle more bad news after the day he’s had.

But Taekwoon smiles, amused at his slight panic. “No, those contracts are separate. And Hakyeon has definitely done his fair share of the mentorship and I can see that you have, too. I’m happy with your results and since I was the one that suggested it in the first place, I see no need for it to continue. You two will still be partners for as long as Hakyeon is here, but the mentorship is no longer required in your relationship.”

That definitely has more than one meaning that Taekwoon is yet to know about so Sanghyuk keeps his words to himself. The mentorship ending doesn’t really mean much to him. If anything, it lessens Hakyeon’s workload. He didn’t even know that Hakyeon had been submitting evaluations and observations of his work to their captain, which just goes to show that Hakyeon is very balanced in what he does and how he handles things. Sanghyuk wonders when he will have to mentor someone but he finds that he sort of already is, in the form of Jeongha. There’s a lot that Hakyeon has given him and Sanghyuk thinks he might have to come up with a way to make it up to him.

“I love working with him,” Sanghyuk admits and Taekwoon gives a small smile, knowing at least some of the meaning behind it.

“We’ll get him back,” Taekwoon says, patting his shoulder. “I know it sucks, but it’s Hakyeon. He’ll be fine.”

Sanghyuk takes a deep breath, sighing it out and Taekwoon nods to him, dismissing himself. Sanghyuk doesn’t follow him out, keeping to himself for the time being. He really should get back to work but he takes a little while to collect himself, rubbing his face and noticing just how long his hair has gotten. Is this what people mean by ‘letting yourself go’ when they get into a relationship? Stupid to think, but he really should get it cut. Not that being with Hakyeon has made him any worse as a human being. He quite likes himself when he’s with Hakyeon.

Hyungwon minds him when he returns to the assistant’s desk, calling up to book himself in for a haircut. Hyungwon tries to convince him to dye his hair and Sanghyuk almost caves but he hasn’t been blonde in a decade and he doesn’t need to relive that. Hyungwon mutters to himself and starts to look up cheap hair dye online, trying to see what he can get and he ends up customising his own shampoo with Sanghyuk’s help. The two of them touch his hair to identify the texture and Hyungwon is halfway through trying to convince Sanghyuk that his hair is wavy and not straight when the elevator dings.

It’s just Hongbin but he’s grinning like an idiot, holding up a case file. Sanghyuk groans, not happy about the prospect of more work for himself but Hongbin shakes his head, handing the file to him and telling him to file it. There’s a bag of evidence in his other hand and Sanghyuk takes it, not pleased but he has to do it.

“Have fun,” Hongbin smirks and Hyungwon still grins at him, even after the intimate moment they just had.

“No one else touches my hair but me,” Hyungwon smiles, shaking out his locks and Sanghyuk rolls his eyes.

“Thought we had something, hyung.”

“God, you fucking wish. Maybe confess to Hakyeon and I’ll see if I feel okay with giving you pity sex.”

Hongbin snorts as Sanghyuk shakes his head, leaving to attend to the evidence room. It’s basic evidence but Hongbin didn’t label it because who would he be if he did his job correctly? Sanghyuk makes quick work of the labels with some masking tape, filling out the appropriate dates with help from the file and there’s a knock at the door, a distraction he doesn’t need right now.

“Hyung, if you’re just here to annoy me, then I’m not in the mood,” he says, frustrated. “I get that you’re trying to help or whatever, but you should go talk to Hyungwon-hyung more instead of watching me and commenting on stupid things. Or breaking something.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll just leave,” comes Hakyeon’s voice and Sanghyuk turns so fast he almost slips on the polished floor. Hakyeon raises his brows at him, waiting for a response and Sanghyuk meets him halfway, pulling him against him tightly, cradling his head like he’s the most precious thing in the world.

Hakyeon chuckles lightly but circles his arms around Sanghyuk, tucking his face into his shoulder. His hands on Sanghyuk’s shoulders radiate warmth and suddenly, everything is okay. His stress is gone because Hakyeon is okay and in his arms, breathing and alive. 

“You fucking scared me so much,” Sanghyuk breathes and Hakyeon laughs. “Please don’t do that again anytime soon.”

“Yeah, like I can predict when I have to join a massive police force operation.” Hakyeon pulls away to look at him and touches his fingers to Sanghyuk’s cheeks, holding him. Sanghyuk presses his hands to Hakyeon’s, nuzzling his face into his palm and leaves a kiss at his wrist.

“You were worried about me?” he asks softly, smiling.

“Not at all,” Sanghyuk quips, unimpressed. “Why would you think that?”

“Call it inquisition.”

Sanghyuk rolls his eyes, glad for the easy joking. They’re both okay, it’s just another day of their lives and it fucking sucks but that’s the promise they made when they joined this life. “Are you okay?” he asks anyways and Hakyeon hums.

“I didn’t see much. Two officers were already wounded when I got there, so a lot of it was waiting. Stressful, but I’m okay, and so are those officers, thank God.” Hakyeon sighs, turning his head to the wall to distract his eyes. “Does it ever get easier? That’s what I keep wondering.”

Sanghyuk looks down at his partner, holding him just a little bit tighter. There’s nothing he can say, nothing he can do because no, it really never does. There will always be people they can’t save. It’s a matter of time at the end of it all. It depends on whether they’re too late and in this case, they were too late.

“Come here,” Sanghyuk whispers, letting Hakyeon come close to him, into his chest. Hakyeon doesn’t hug him back but he burrows close, just wanting to be close and that’s all he wants, too. Sanghyuk rests his cheek against the side of Hakyeon’s head, letting him listen to his steady heart and hoping it’s a comfort for Hakyeon.

“I thought it would get easier,” Hakyeon says into his chest. “I… Was that stupid of me to think so?”

“You never want it to get worse,” Sanghyuk whispers, bringing his hand up to cradle Hakyeon’s head like before, threading his hands through his hair. “It’s… It can wishful thinking but-”

“I just want to go home,” Hakyeon says, quiet. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Just…”

“I know,” Sanghyuk smiles, meeting his eyes again. “I’m sure captain will let you go. It’s almost shift end time, anyways. Do you want me to come over?”

“Yeah, I’d like the company.” 

***

  
  


Sanghyuk keeps spacing out.

It happens when he gets overloaded, when he’s worried. But sometimes it just happens because his brain is exhausted and he can’t do much to focus. His eyes gloss over and he thinks for a long time, easing him out of his trances but right now, he’s not doing such a good job of it.

But he closes his eyes and squeezes them hard, bringing himself back because Hakyeon is talking to him, there’s a murder case and he’s presenting and Sanghyuk blinks at the suspect’s profile, reading but not absorbing. Jaehwan is next to him, a lollipop in his mouth like it was all those months ago when Sanghyuk first met Hakyeon. Weird to think how far he’s come since then.

“I need someone to take this on,” Hakyeon says, the first thing that Sanghyuk absorbs and he raises his hand blindly to take it. Hakyeon nods, grinning at Nayoung when she cusses under her breath.

Jaehwan stands up, swapping his seat with Hakyeon and presents a series of photos from a crime scene that Nayoung calls dibs on, smug. Jaehwan winks at her and hands the file over to her, the captain dismissing them all soon after, nothing more to say.

Their captain takes the stand and it’s like clockwork that she chooses now to ask Hakyeon to meet her in her office later. Sanghyuk knows it’s to inform him that their mentorship is over, that he and Sanghyuk will no longer be expected to work so closely together. That doesn’t mean they’ll suddenly stop but they don’t have the expectation to now.

When Hakyeon comes out of her office, he smiles and Sanghyuk stands up at his signal, following him out of the precinct. They’re still at work and even though their mentorship is over, they still need to be professional. They’re partners in the workplace first, boyfriends second.

It’s a stock standard day and Sanghyuk runs errands with Hakyeon mindlessly, tying up a few loose ends in his cases so he can finally file them all correctly and hand them in. Hakyeon encourages him and makes him smile from time to time and when it’s time to go home, Sanghyuk is the one on the back of Hakyeon’s motorcycle, trying not to squeeze him so hard he bursts.

But Hakyeon is safe, and takes everything seriously. When they’re in his apartment’s garage, it takes the helmet from Sanghyuk and locks up his bike, holding out his hand for Sanghyuk to take. There’s no one to see (not that it really matters if there was) and Sanghyuk kisses his temple softly, a comfort to both of them. Hakyeon smiles and squeezes his hand in return, smiling up at him.

“I’ll make dinner,” Hakyeon says once they’re in his apartment. Sanghyuk nods, grateful that Hakyeon has picked up on his more somber mood and isn’t pushing him to do much right now, and collapses onto his couch for the time being.

“Can I light one of your candles?” Sanghyuk asks after a while, spying the ones that rest on Hakyeon’s coffee table.

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to make new ones for a while,” he answers and Sanghyuk lights two up for good measure, amazed at the calming smells that come from it.

“You can take that one, if you want,” Hakyeon tells him when he sits down next to him, a bowl of curry and rice ready. “It’s just lavender. I’ve got that many more in my room.”

“Do you light them up and fall asleep in the bath?” Sanghyuk jokes but it comes out more as a genuine question than a tease.

Hakyeon shrugs, mixing his bowl together with a smug grin. “Maybe you’ll find out.”

Sanghyuk shakes his head but he’s not completely opposed to it. He doesn’t own a bath and he’s more interested to see if Hakyeon’s would fit both of them, in the most unsexual way possible.

They do test that out, later on. But completely clothed and full of laughter. Hakyeon sits in the tub and directs Sanghyuk of how he usually bathes and pulls him into the tub to sit behind him, falling into his chest comfortably. It’s a bit of squeeze considering Sanghyuk is so damn long but they make do and Hakyeon compromises by curling himself up a little so that Sanghyuk has more leg room.

“Could be nice,” he comments and Sanghyuk snorts, one arm hanging over the side of the tub while the other is around Hakyeon’s waist.

“I feel like I’m just sitting in one of those household placement structures. Like when you go to buy a bed, but it’s just bathtubs.”

Hakyeon scoffs, folding himself a little more to lift himself up in one full motion, holding his hands out for Sanghyuk to take. No bath tonight, it seems. “Yeah, I’m not that rich, sweetie. We have the same job but you’d be surprised as to how little my five year headstart on you is.”

“Why?” Sanghyuk blinks down at him, holding both of his hands. “You paying off an ex wife I don’t know about?”

“Yeah, why do you think Donghun had to die?”

Sanghyuk stares at him for a second, trying to decipher if that’s true or not but Hakyeon grins at him and it answers his question. Though, Hakyeon’s references to his ‘past life’ is definitely out of pocket and strangely amusing, even if it ended in a mess.

“I did like the blonde,” Sanghyuk says as Hakyeon steps out of the tub and his boyfriend shakes his head as he walks away, muttering about how he’s way too fucking old to be bleaching his hair, even though they both know that’s not true.

“Weren’t you blonde? Once?” Hakyeon tries, calling him to bed with a come hither hand gesture. Sanghyuk complies without hesitation.

“In high school,” he confesses.

“Cute.”

“Yeah, with my braces and big cheeks.”

“You had braces?” Hakyeon coos, reaching up to sneak a small kiss under his jaw. Sanghyuk doesn’t bother fighting it, not when it makes him smile to himself, happy and pleased. 

It’s still early, so Hakyeon pulls out his phone and begins to tell Sanghyuk about his childhood, providing photos of his senior formal where he had long black hair and brown blonde highlights that makes Sanghyuk laugh his ass off.

“If you went to my high school, I’d be all over you,” Sanghyuk jokes but he can't even hold a straight face through the sentence, snorting in Hakyeon’s face who just whines.

“That was the style!” Hakyeon defends, smacking his chest.

“Yeah, sure. I’m not that much younger than you and I can't remember that being a thing. Well, having long hair was the style, I guess. I don't know where you got the highlights from.”

Hakyeon sighs, a small pout on his lips that Sanghyuk kisses softly, in silent apology. He catches himself on a photo from his youth, on a stage and smiles softly, reminiscent. “That was my first competition win.”

“You danced? Sanghyuk asks softly, pressing a kiss to Hakyeon’s temple.

“For a long time. I miss it sometimes but it was stressful.” He laughs once, locking his phone. “Not that I traded it for anything less stressful, but… I don't know. This job fits me, I guess.”

Sanghyuk hums, squeezing Hakyeon’s shoulder. “It does. I like it.”

Hakyeon smiles and kisses him, conveying the words he doesn't need to say. It’s always nice with Hakyeon, easy. Even though Sanghyuk might be stressed, Hakyeon always takes it away and he hopes he does the same for his partner. Hakyeon offers safety and security and Sanghyuk likes it more than he’s willing to admit.

“Stay with me,” Hakyeon asks and Sanghyuk doesn't even think about refusing. If it’s Hakyeon asking, he doesn't think he’ll ever refuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading <3 i've been quite busy irl recently so im glad i could get this chapter out. i hope you all enjoy


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